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Majority of Hispanic children unable to swim safely

Nearly 60 percent of Hispanic and African American children cannot swim, almost twice the number for Anglo children, according to a survey that Colorado-based USA Swimming hopes will strengthen its efforts to lower minority drowning rates and draw more minority children into the sport.

USA Swimming is teaming with local governments, corporations and youth and ethnic organizations to expand learn-to-swim programs across the United States . Officials surveyed 1,772 children ages 6 to 16 in six cities, two-thirds of them Hispanic or African American, to gauge what factors contributed most to the minority swimming gap.

The study found that 31 percent of the Anglo respondents could not swim safely, compared to 56 percent of Hispanic respondents and 58 percent for African Americans.

The minority swimming gap has deep roots in America’s racial history, according to the national governing body for the sport. For decades during the 20th century, many pools were segregated, and relatively few were built to serve ethnic minority communities. The study also found that swimming ability, regardless of race, increased in relation to parents’ income and education.