Could the color of your child's swimsuit help save their life?

BOSTON - A new study shows that choosing the right swimsuit color for your child might just save their life.

The leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 4 is drowning, and accidental drowning deaths have been on the rise in recent years.

Of course, the best way to prevent this tragedy is to watch kids carefully in pools, oceans, lakes, and rivers and to teach them how to swim as soon as possible. But choosing the right bathing suit color could also make a difference.

Alive Solutions tested swimsuits of varying colors in a pool and in a lake to see how visible they were 18 inches below the surface of the water. Solid bright neon colors like neon yellow, lime green, and orange were the most visible. But other colors, especially blues, greens, and white, virtually disappeared. 

The next time you're buying a bathing suit for your child, look for solid bright colors without busy prints -- it might just save their life. 

In:
• Health
• Water Safety
• Child Care
• Swimming
• Children

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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