Behavioral And Environmental Risk Factors For Childhood

溺水是美国儿童意外伤害死亡的主要原因。5岁以下儿童的溺水风险尤其高，溺水率在1-2奥尔兹中达到高峰。虽然一些预防策略，如游泳池围栏，是已知的有效，其他预防策略的影响尚不清楚。例如，缺乏关于游泳课或游泳能力与溺水风险之间关系的数据，因此难以制定关于幼儿参加游泳课的指导方针和政策。有关儿童溺水的风险和保护因素的信息将为未来预防这些悲惨死亡的干预措施的设计提供有价值的指导。本研究采用病例对照设计，一方面评估游泳课程、游泳能力和其他风险或保护因素与溺水风险之间的关系。主要研究假设涉及1至4岁儿童游泳课与溺水风险之间的关系，而次要假设涉及年龄较大儿童溺水的风险和保护因素。溺水受害者的父母或监护人和年龄匹配的对照组的父母/监护人将接受采访。还将与14-19岁的青少年对照组进行简短访谈。访谈包括关于接触水，游泳能力，参加游泳课程以及可能影响溺水风险的其他一些因素的问题。本研究的数据收集始于2003年4月，预计将持续到2005年10月。

Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional injury death among children in the United States. Children under the age of five years are at particularly increased risk with drowning rates peaking among 1-2 year olds. While some preventive strategies, such as pool fencing, are known to be effective, the impact of other preventive strategies is unclear. For example, data regarding the relationship between swimming lessons or swimming ability and the risk of drowning are lacking, making it difficult to formulate guidelines and policies about enrollment of young children in swimming lessons. Information about risk and protective factors for childhood drownings will provide valuable guidance for the design of future interventions to prevent these tragic deaths. This study utilizes a case-control design to evaluate the relationship between swimming lessons, swimming ability, and other risk or protective factors on the one hand, and the risk of drowning on the other. The primary study hypothesis addresses the relationship between swimming lessons and the risk of drowning among children ages 1 to 4 years, while secondary hypotheses address risk and protective factors for drowning among older children. Parents or guardians of drowning victims and parents/guardians of age-matched controls will be interviewed. A short interview will also be conducted with adolescent controls, aged 14-19 years. Interviews include questions regarding exposure to water, swimming ability, participation in swimming lessons, and a number of other factors that might influence the risk of drowning. Data collection for this study began in April, 2003 and is expected to continue through October, 2005.