Arkansas children at higher risk of drowning, study finds

LITTLE ROCK — A new study has concluded that children in Arkansas are at an increased risk for drowning.

Research conducted by the Arkansas Infant and Child Death Review Program at Arkansas Children's Hospital indicates Arkansas ranks 7th in the U.S. for drowning-related deaths among children under 17. In addition, the state's drowning rate is 60 percent higher than the national average.

Since 2010, the Arkansas Infant and Child Death Review Program has reviewed cases of unexpected deaths of children ages birth to 17. Local review teams found that of all the drowning cases reviewed, over 5 percent involved children between the ages of 1 and 4 who drowned in either a bathtub or a bucket of water.

The research found that most recreational drownings occurred among young people ages 10 to 17.

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