[Swimming pool accidents in Denmark]

The purpose of this article was to estimate injuries in connection with swimming pool activities.

Through The Register of Accidents of The State Institute of Public Health, data of injuries in swimming pools were collected for the period 1998-1999. In that period of time the NOMESKO-classification was used for registration of injuries, a specific classification based on registration of injuries at five different Danish hospitals corresponding to 14% of the Danish population.

During the period of investigation the average number of injuries was 349 per year, corresponding to a rate of incidence of 49.9 per 100,000. There was a considerable dominance of the youngest age groups among the injured. The age group 0-14 years accounted for 60% of the injured. The dominant type of injury was simple fall. The type of lesions varied according to the age of the injured.

There was an insignificant increase from 1998 to 1999. Due to a presumed difference in iatrotropic threshold there was probably a bias of selection. The number of injuries corresponded to a total of 2500 injuries in Danish swimming pools per year, corresponding to 1 injury per 10,000 persons using Danish swimming pools. There were no comparable studies, neither Danish nor foreign. In Danish swimming pools no recommendations were available, only what we call advice on how to conduct oneself in the pool area. It would probably be possible to reduce the number of injuries in Danish swimming pools by using preventive steps, for instance non-skid mats, ban on running and elimination of sharp and hard objects in swimming pools.