Long Island City, U.S.A. – Osprey Publishing, a leading publisher of books for history buffs, has four suggestions to help Americans commemorate Veterans Day this year.

Image Courtesy of  Wigwam Jones

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Washington, U.S.A. – New information released on July 19 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) Pool Safely: Simple Steps Save Lives campaign, shows that 90 children younger than 15 were reported to have drowned in swimming pools since Memorial Day.

According to media reports, an additional 106 children of that age required emergency response for near-drowning incidents.  These incidents provide a sobering reminder of how a fun day at the pool can quickly turn tragic.

The figures show that young children and toddlers are especially vulnerable to drowning because 72 percent of the children reported to have drowned since Memorial Day were younger than 5 years old.

In light of this information, the campaign is encouraging water parks, municipal swimming pools and other indoor and outdoor aquatic facilities to celebrate Pool Safely Day, an annual event promoting water safety that encourages all Americans to pool safely every day. Participants from all around the U.S. will be participating in Pool Safely Day activities during the week of July 22-29, 2012. More than 70 facilities in 30 states have registered events with CPSC during that week. Events will range from free swimming lessons, to CPR training, to distributing Pool Safely information materials to parents and caregivers.

“Making sure their children learn how to swim is one of the most important steps parents can take,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “Swimming is a fun activity to help keep cool in the summer and it also can be a lifesaver.”

Texas had the highest number of drownings (13) in this time period with California, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania each reporting five drownings. CPSC’s latest submersion report shows on average 390 pool or spa-related drownings occur each year for children younger than 15, based on statistics from 2007-2009. About 5,200 pool or spa-related emergency department-treated submersion injuries occur on average each year for children younger than 15.

“This information tells a heartbreaking story,” said Chairman Tenenbaum. “Behind each one of these incidents are grieving family members and communities. These are preventable tragedies, so we must continue to share the simple safety steps that parents and caregivers should take both before and during time spent in or near the water. That’s what we mean when we say America needs to learn how to pool safely.”

The Pool Safely campaign provides information on the simple steps that parents, caregivers and pool owners can take to ensure that children and adults stay safe around pools and spas:

• Stay close, be alert and watch children in and around the pool. This means never leave children unattended in a pool or spa; always watch children closely around all bodies of water; teach children basic water safety tips; and keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings.
• Learn and practice water safety skills.  This means every family member should know how to swim and learning to perform CPR on children and adults.
• Have appropriate equipment for your pool or spa. This include fencing, a lockable safety cover, proper drain covers to avoid entrapments, and lifesaving equipment such as life rings and a reaching pole.

The Pool Safely campaign was launched in 2010 to raise awareness about pool and spa safety, as mandated by the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. This year, the campaign is increasing its focus on populations most at risk of drowning, including children younger than 5 years old who represent 75 percent of child drowning fatalities on average, and African American and Hispanic children between the ages of 5 and 14 who drown at higher rates than white children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data from USA Swimming indicates that 70 percent of African American children and 62 percent of Hispanic children cannot swim, making them especially vulnerable to drowning.

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Chicago, U.S.A. – The start of summer also marks the beginning of the “100 Deadliest Days for Teens”— the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day that is traditionally the deadliest for teen drivers. Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, and more teens are killed on the road during summer than any other time of year.

But parents can do more than just stand by and worry this summer; when it comes to safe driving, parents have more influence over their teens’ behavior than they might expect, say experts featured on BeSmartBeWell.com/Teen-Driving in a series of new videos produced by the health and wellness website.

“Parents play a key role in preventing teen crashes. When asked whose opinions they listen to, teens most often said their parents,” says Erin Sauber-Schatz, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the CDC and one of the experts featured on BeSmartBeWell.com/Teen-Driving.

Parents can turn to BeSmartBeWell.com, where experts and real-life parents provide practical advice for starting conversations about safe driving and getting teens the driving experience they need to be safe behind the wheel.

Be clear and be involved

Teens who think their parents will be upset with them if they engage in risky driving are less likely to take risks when behind the wheel. That is why it’s important for parents to communicate their expectations for safe driving clearly.

Tanya, a mom featured on BeSmartBeWell.com/Teen-Driving, has been very clear with her teen daughter about driving rules and what happens when the rules are violated.

“It’s important to let her know the consequences. If she doesn’t follow through, she’ll know what I expect from her,” Tanya says. “She’ll know what she’s supposed to do, what’s wrong and what’s right.” Watch Tanya and her daughter negotiate their family’s rules of the road.

Tanya also makes sure Daija gets lots of supervised driving practice, essential for keeping teens safe behind the wheel. “You should be driving with your teen as much as possible,” says Flaura Winston, M.D., director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and one of the experts featured on BeSmartBeWell.com/Teen-Driving. “The more hours the better, and in a variety of conditions.”

Not sure how to begin?

A parent-teen driver agreement can help parents start a conversation about safe driving. A teen driver agreement lists driving rules – like always wear a seat belt, never text and drive, etc. – and spells out consequences for violating those rules.

Negotiating the terms of the agreement together helps parents communicate their expectations, and garners teen buy-in, says the CDC’s Sauber-Schatz in a video on BeSmartBeWell.com/Teen-Driving. ”It lets the teens and parents work together to set up the consequences.”

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Washington, U.S.A - As Memorial Day approaches heralding the summer pool season, a new survey on swimmer hygiene conducted by the Water Quality & Health Council (WQHC) finds that although nearly all Americans (93%) say they would never re-use someone else’s bath water, almost seven in 10 (68%) admit they do not always shower before getting in the pool. Failing to shower before swimming adds contaminants to the pool that can lead to unhealthy swimming conditions.

“Swimming is not a substitute for bathing. Too many people unknowingly treat the pool as a communal bathtub,” said Dr. Chris Wiant, chair of the Water Quality & Health Council. “It may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s important to shower before you jump in the pool to help keep swimming healthy for everyone in the pool.”

“The pre-swim shower removes a lot of the sweat, cosmetics and urine that can mix with chlorine to create irritants in pool water,” said Michele Hlavsa, Chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Healthy Swimming Program. “These irritants, not the chlorine itself, cause red eyes when we swim and the strong chemical smell of some pools.”

The April 2012 survey found that one in five respondents admit to peeing in the pool, echoing the results from a WQHC survey conducted three years ago. According to Dr. Wiant, “No matter how easy it is to pee anonymously in the pool; swimmers should avoid doing so and take their children on frequent bathroom breaks. Pool operators should also monitor and maintain proper pool water chemistry, especially pH and chlorine levels, which CDC calls ‘the first defense against germs that can make swimmers sick.’”

The WQHC is again making available this year free pool test strips so swimmers can check pH and chlorine levels using a simple, color-coded test strip. Proper chlorine levels and pH help keep pools healthy by destroying waterborne germs that can cause diarrhea, swimmer’s ear, and skin infections.

Last summer, WQHC mailed over 32,000 free pool test strips to swimmers who requested them on the Healthy Pools website. Data submitted by swimmers across the nation last summer showed that 54% of pools tested had unacceptable chlorine levels and 47% had inappropriate pH levels.

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