Drownings in Florida 1977-1986

Drowning is a serious public health problem in Florida. It is the leading cause of death among children aged one to four years. We studied Florida drownings for 1977-1986 using data from the Florida vital statistics mortality file and found that 5,525 occurred, the greatest number in 1980 (688), the fewest in 1985 (453). The reasons for this decrease are not clear, but the greatest decrease occurred in swimming pool drownings. Nonwhite males had the highest overall drowning rates, except for those under age five or 80 and above. White males had the highest drowning rates for persons under age five; most of these occurred in swimming pools. No single approach will prevent drownings in all high risk groups. Priority should be given to foursided fencing of swimming pools and to further study of nonwhite male drownings.