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Going swimming during the holidays? Here’s how to stay safe

(Photo: Pixabay)
(Photo: Pixabay)

Heading to the swimming pool with your children for some outdoor fun during the holidays?

While swimming is a moderate-intensity aerobic activity that has several health benefits, including building muscle strength, endurance and cardiovascular fitness, unsafe practices while swimming can cause injury and even death from drowning, with young children being the most vulnerable.

An estimated 360,000 people drown every year worldwide, and drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death, reports the World Health Organization.

According to a study by KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore, 69 out of 104 drowning incidents involving children in the period 2011 and 2015 took place in private pools. Half of the total number of drowning deaths among children during this time occurred at pool parties.

Noting that drowning is the leading cause of injury death for young children aged 1 to 4, Singapore’s Ministry of Health advises “vigilant supervision with undivided attention given to children in the bath, swimming or when playing near bodies of water” and “extra vigilance during pool parties”.

(Photo: Pexels)
(Photo: Pexels)

Dos and don’ts to be safe in a swimming pool, and keep your children safe:

Dos

  • Maintain constant supervision of your child – either accompany your child in the swimming pool or keep a close eye from the outside. While maintaining vigil, ensure you are focused on your child and are not distracted by your phone and other devices, or absorbed reading a book, playing cards, talking to a friend etc.

  • Encourage your child to use floats and other swimming aids to prevent accidents. Do check that these aids are of good quality, are working well and are fully inflated before use.

  • Ensure the water level reaches the level of your child’s chest while standing upright in the pool.

  • Drink water and other fluids to stay hydrated and avoid exhaustion.

  • Take note of the location of the lifeguard and call for help when required.

(Photo: Pexels)
(Photo: Pexels)

Don’ts

  • Don’t swim after drinking alcohol.

  • Don’t dive in shallow water. Diving is advised in water that is at least 3 metres deep.

  • Don’t swim in stormy weather. Leave the pool immediately if the weather takes a turn for the worse.

  • Don’t swim in the dark.

  • Don’t run outside the pool, walk slowly to avoid slipping.

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