Are Parents Treading Water When it Comes to Awareness of Children’s Drowning Risk? The Impact of Children’s Swimming Lessons on Parents’ Perceptions of Children’s Drowning Risk, Swimming Ability, and Supervision Needs Around Outdoor Water

• Main Author: Sandomierski, Megan
• Other Authors: Barbara, Morrongiello
• Language: en
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Supervision; Swimming lessons; Child drowning risk; Parental perceptions
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10214/3097

Having the same parents repeatedly complete questionnaires over time, the current community based study investigated beliefs relevant to supervision, drowning risk, and water safety for children aged two through five enrolled in swim lessons. Results revealed that many parents value swimming lessons for young children and view supervision as an important prevention approach. Water safety beliefs and accuracy in judging children’s swim abilities improved over lessons, but time in lessons was related to endorsing poorer supervision of children near water. Having experienced a “close call” for drowning was found to make parents more aware of drowning risk and the importance of close supervision. Results highlight the need for parent education that targets beliefs about water safety and supervision during lessons, and also suggest that a close call for drowning may act as a “teachable moment” for parents and be an appropriate time to implement such interventions.