ArticleInjury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention2026
Unrealised potential of pool fencing and life jackets to prevent US drownings.
Article in Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Cost-benefit analysis of universal pool fencing for Texas households with young children.Injury epidemiology · 2026Article
- Evaluating the Economic Impact of Learn-to-Swim Programmes: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the First Lap Voucher Programme in Australia.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2026Article
- Trends in Unintentional Drowning Mortality Among U.S. Adults Aged ≥25 Years, 1999-2024: A U.S. Surveillance Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- First global status report on drowning prevention identifies opportunities to scale up efforts.Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDrowning causes more than 4500 deaths annually and is the leading cause of death among children aged 1-4 years old in the USA. Isolation pool fencing (ie, four-sided fencing to limit access from all adjoining areas including residences and yards) and use of US Coast Guard-approved life jackets while boating can prevent drowning, but preventable deaths still occur. This study aimed to estimate the annual health and economic burden of drowning likely attributable to inadequate pool fencing and not wearing life jackets while boating to highlight the unrealised value of these known prevention strategies.
methodsA simple mathematical model used the most recent annual number of drowning deaths by decedent age in combination with previous study data to estimate the number of drowning deaths that might have been prevented through: (1) adequate isolation fencing for swimming pools among children aged <5 years old and (2) use of life jackets while boating for people of all ages. Prevention effectiveness estimates of pool fencing and life jackets were based on previous studies. Unit costs for drowning-related medical spending and avoidable mortality using the value of statistical life were from existing sources.
resultsProper use of swimming pool isolation fencing and always wearing a life jacket while boating could prevent an estimated 348 US drowning deaths and an economic cost of US$4.5 billion per year.
conclusionsHighlighting the effectiveness of drowning prevention strategies can help inform public attention to this issue and support cost-effective public health decision-making.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.