The findings, published in the American Journal of Public Health, are based on federal data for 678 swimming-pool drownings among 5- to 24-year-olds between 1995 and 1998.
The study shows that three-quarters of the drowning victims were male, and black males were at greatest risk with their rate of drowning 5 to 12 times higher than that of white males, depending on the age group.
Hispanic males were also at greater risk than whites, but the difference was much smaller.
Among females also, African Americans had a higher drowning rate through the teen years while white and Hispanic females had similar rates at all ages.
The study indicates that most of the deaths among blacks happened in a public pool in contrast to white children and young adults, 55 percent of whom drowned in a residential pool.
According to the lead investigator of the study, Dr. Gitanjali Saluja of the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, more deaths among blacks were due to persistent racial discrepancy even when they factored in income.
More research, researchers say, is needed to understand the underlying reasons.
