USA Swimming Foundation
Nearly 60 percent of African-American and Hispanic youth ages 6 to 16 are unable to swim – nearly twice the rate of their Caucasian peers. This study cites parental influence as the major factor: African-American and Hispanic children are six times as likely to have parents who don’t know how to swim. Researchers estimate that only 13 percent of children of any ethnicity who come from a non-swimming household will learn to swim.
USA Swimming, the nation’s amateur swimming athletic organization, hopes to lessen the gap in swimming ability between races through its Make a Splash initiative, which joins forces with local learn-to-swim programs and educates parents and children about drowning prevention. Free, 15 pages. www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&ItemId=1995&mid=3684.
