Examination of a pilot intervention program to change parent supervision behaviour at Australian public swimming pools

• Published in: Health promotion journal of Australia 2018-08, Vol.29 (2), p.153-159
• Main Authors: Matthews, Bernadette L., Franklin, Richard C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age groups; aquatic risk management; Attention; Attitudes; Behavior change; Caregivers; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; commercial aquatic facility; Domains; Drowning; Drowning - prevention & control; Education; Educational programs; Effectiveness; Fatalities; Health promotion; Health risk assessment; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Injuries; Intervention; Legislation; lifeguard; Lifeguards; Lifesaving; Parent and child; Parent-Child Relations; Parents; Parents & parenting; Pilot Projects; Prevention; Prevention programs; Program implementation; Proximity; Public schools; Ratings & rankings; Recreation; Safety measures; Society; Supervision; Swimming; Swimming accidents & safety; Swimming behavior; Swimming for children; Swimming Pools; Training of; Victoria
• ISSN: 1036-1073; 2201-1617
• DOI: 10.1002/hpja.37

Issue addressed: Drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional death in children worldwide. There is limited evidence about the effectiveness of programs targeting child drowning prevention at public swimming pools. We examined the effectiveness of a public education program (Keep Watch @ Public Pools) for improving child supervision levels by parents at public swimming pools. Methods: The program was evaluated via an observational study of parent supervision behaviour with children aged 0-14 years. Measures included domains of attention, proximity and preparedness. A rating scale from 0 = least effective to 4 = most effective was used, based upon the supervision domains. Seven public swimming pools in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia were randomised to either intervention or control pool. The intervention occurred over six weeks, and observations were taken over a one-week period both pre- and postintervention. Observations of a total of 10 186 children and 6930 parents/carers were recorded and analysed. Results: A significant improvement in attention, proximity and preparedness was observed in parents of children aged 6-10 years at intervention pools. However, similar results were not observed in parents of children aged 0-5 years and 11-14 years. Conclusions: Supervision behaviour of parents can be modified, and the implications of these results for the community through to practice and policy are discussed.