Non-dorky life jacket could be key to saving teen-ager

Most people are aware that little children are at risk of drowning; not everyone is aware that drowning is the second-greatest accidental killer of teen-agers.

“Teens have to think around the water. They need to think about the risks,” says Dr. Linda Quan, UW associate professor of pediatrics and chief of emergency services at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.

While little children face their biggest threat in pools, the most common places for teens to run into trouble are rivers and lakes.

“The issue with teens is when they go to an unsupervised area — which is where all teens want to go,” says Tizzy Bennett, lead health educator for the Washington State Drowning Prevention Project, which operates from Children’s Hospital.

Parents would be wise to talk with teens before they leave on a swimming trip: ask them where they are going and what the water conditions are like, and what preparations and plans they have for the situation, Quan says. The idea is to plant these questions in the child’s mind, so he or she is more likely to think about whether the water currents are fast, the water rough, or other conditions are dangerous. And warn the youths not to drink alcohol when doing water activities.

Trouble for a teen generally starts in one of two ways. The first is that teens decide to swim to something — perhaps a buoy or rock. One person just can’t swim that far. And swimming with a buddy won’t always help.

Buddies who’ve lost friends to drowning tell researchers that there is little time to react. “The person says, ‘I’m getting tired,’ and they’re gone. It’s not like they’re thrashing around and you have five or 10 minutes to help them,” Bennett says. “Once a teen is submerged, there’s a good chance they won’t make it.”

Young people who want to have a swimming contest to a distant place need to decide if it might be too far away. One option is to have a swimming contest close to shore, in case someone gets tired.

The second troublesome scenario is when teens are in a boat, and the boat capsizes or someone without a life jacket falls into the water.

Parents should encourage teens to stick to supervised areas. They’d also be wise to buy whatever kind of life jacket their son or daughter is willing to wear, Bennett suggests. Many people object to life jackets because they affect tan lines or are bulky. There are inflatable life jackets that are very light and only inflate if you need them, available at marine supply and other stores.

But get the teen’s opinion. “Get the one they want,” Bennett says. “They’re not going to wear a life jacket if it looks dorky.”

Parents themselves should wear jackets, Quan says: “Parents need to model good behavior. They need to wear life vests themselves. Make it an expectation that you will wear one, just as you make it an expectation to wear a seat belt or bicycle helmet.”

Parents should also make sure their teens can swim well. Many pools offer programs for small children and adults, but not teens. Sometimes, that means calling on local pools to offer programs for young people.

For more information about drowning prevention, visit http://www.seattlechildrens.org/dp on the Internet, or write to the Washington State Drowning Prevention Project, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, P.O. Box 5371, Mail Stop CM-09, Seattle, WA 98105. ¶

Walter Neary