As kids get ready to splash around in pools this summer, some parents may underestimate drowning risks, suggests a new national poll.
While relatively few parents would allow their child to be unsupervised in a lake (16 percent) or the ocean (13 percent), more than a third (37 percent) would allow their child to be in a home, hotel or neighborhood pool without adult supervision, according to today’s report from the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.
The report -which is based on responses from 1,543 parents of children ages 6-18 – also found that a child’s likelihood of taking swim lessons and swimming independently differed based on the race and ethnicity of the parent reporting.
“Many families enjoy spending time around a pool or lake in the summer, but parents should be cautious of keeping children safe around the water,” says poll co-director and Mott pediatrician Gary L. Freed, M.D., M.P.H.
“Familiar places such as a backyard pool may provide a false sense of security, but we know that drowning can occur anywhere, often instantly and silently. We strongly advise parents to closely supervise kids at all times, even if they think their child is a good swimmer.”
Read EurekAlert and University of Michigan
Photo by Arto Brick 
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