LG SUP 9 Develop Consistent National Messaging on Supervision for Parents and Caregivers
Develop and implement consistent national messaging for supervision strategies for parents and caregivers who have responsibility for individuals when in, on, and around the water.
Spectrum level: Promoting Community Education Strengthening Individual Knowledge and Skills
Evidence level: Medium
Rationale:
Recent analysis of child death review data indicates that a lapse in supervision is frequently a contributing factor in drowning among children. Caregivers are often not aware of the risk of drowning and therefore do not provide effective supervision due to the inability to recognize a drowning event, distractions, proximity, overestimation of child’s aquatic skill, and, or drug, or alcohol use. Additionally, misconceptions exist in the public about preventative and effective supervision for aquatic activities.
Anticipated Impact:
After implementing this recommendation, you can expect to experience the following outcomes.
- Developing and implementing consistent national messaging for supervision strategies for parents and caregivers leads to increased awareness of water safety principles, and the importance of active, constant supervision, to help reduce water related injuries and drownings, especially among children and youth.
Evidence:
Water safety experts reviewed a significant amount of content on supervision that informed the development of this recommendation.
Evidence Sources:
Anderson KR, Ramos WD, Schuman JT. The Role of Permission, Supervision, and Precipitating Events in Childhood Pool/Spa Submersion Incidents, United States, 2000-2017. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Aug 19;18(16):8776. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18168776. PMID: 34444525; PMCID: PMC8392632.
Araiza-Alba P, Keane T, Matthews B, Simpson K, Strugnell G, Sun Chen W, Kaufman J. 2021. The potential of 360-degree virtual reality videos to teach water-safety skills to children. Computers & Education; 163, 104096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104096
Bugeja L, Franklin RC. An analysis of stratagems to reduce drowning deaths of young children in private swimming pools and spas in Victoria, Australia. Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot. 2013;20(3):282-94. doi: 10.1080/17457300.2012.717086. Epub 2012 Sep 6. PMID: 22950370.
Denehy M, Leavy JE, Jancey J, Nimmo L, Crawford G. This Much Water: a qualitative study using behavioural theory to develop a community service video to prevent child drowning in Western Australia. BMJ Open. 2017 Jul 31;7(7):e017005. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017005.
Farizan, N., Sutan, R., Hod, R., & Mani, K. (2020). Development and validation of a health educational booklet: A parent's role in water safety and drowning prevention. Journal of Health Research, 34(3), 233-246. DOI: 10.1108/JHR-05-2019-0101
Felton, H., Myers, J., Liu, G., & Davis, D. W. (2015). Unintentional, non-fatal drowning of children: US trends and racial/ethnic disparities. BMJ open, 5(12), e008444. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008444
Glassman, T. J., Castor, T., Karmakar, M., Blavos, A., Dagenhard, P., Domigan, J., Sweeney, E., Diehr, A., & Kucharewski, R. (2018). A Social Marketing Intervention to Prevent Drowning Among Inner-City Youth. Health promotion practice, 19(2), 175–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839917732559
Golob, M. I., Giles, A. R., & Rich, K. M. (2013). Enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of water safety education for ethnic and racial minorities. International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.25035/ijare.07.01.05
Johnson MB, Boriack ED, McConnell CM, Williams SR, Naiditch JA, Lawson KA. Predictors of swimming pool supervision for caregivers of toddlers. J Inj Violence Res. 2021 Jul 24;13(2). doi: 10.5249/jivr.v13i2.1661. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34519279.
Johnson MB, Boriack ED, McConnell CM, Lawson KA. Impact of caregiver swimming capability on perceptions of swimming pool supervision of toddlers. Inj Epidemiol. 2022 Dec 21;9(Suppl 1):40. doi: 10.1186/s40621-022-00397-3. PMID: 36544224; PMCID: PMC9768878.
Johnson MB, Lawson KA. Caregiver water safety knowledge and views of toddler water competency. Inj Epidemiol. 2023 Dec 13;10(Suppl 1):65. doi: 10.1186/s40621-023-00479-w. PMID: 38093267; PMCID: PMC10716997.
Matthews BL, Franklin RC. Examination of a pilot intervention program to change parent supervision behaviour at Australian public swimming pools. Health Promot J Austral. 2018; 29: 153–159. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.37
Moran, K., & Stanley, T. (2006). Toddler drowning prevention: Teaching parents about water safety in conjunction with their child’s in-water lessons. International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 13(4), 254–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457300600678201
Moran, K., & Stanley, T. (2006). Parental perceptions of toddler water safety, swimming ability and swimming lessons. International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 13(3), 139–143. doi.org/10.1080/17457300500373572
Morrongiello BA, Hou S, Bell M, Walton K, Filion AJ, Haines J. Supervising for Home Safety Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) Testing Community-Based Group Delivery. J Pediatr Psychol. 2017 Aug 1;42(7):768-778. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsw083. PMID: 27771617.
Olsen H and Kowalski CL. Kowalski. 2010. Enhancing program quality and care through supervision. Afterschool Matters. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1068345.pdf
Peden, A.E. and Franklin, R.C. (2020), Causes of distraction leading to supervision lapses in cases of fatal drowning of children 0–4 years in Australia: A 15-year review. J Paediatr Child Health, 56: 450-456. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.14668
Sandomierski MC, Morrongiello BA, Colwell SR. S.A.F.E.R. Near Water: An Intervention Targeting Parent Beliefs About Children's Water Safety. J Pediatr Psychol. 2019 Oct 1;44(9):1034-1045. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsz042. PMID: 31155670.
Turgut, T., Yaman, M., & Turgut, A. (2015). Educating Children on Water Safety for Drowning Prevention. Social Indicators Research, 129, 787 - 801. DOI:10.1007/s11205-015-1109-0
A number organizations currently provide messaging around supervision as best practice, including: - Abbeys Hope Water Watch Dog. https://abbeyshope.org/water-watchdog/ - American Academy of Pediatrics. Healthychildren.org https://services.aap.org/en/news- room/campaigns-and-toolkits/drowning-prevention/ - American Red Cross. Redcross.org/watersafety; Redcross.org/waterwatcher; Redcross.org/take-a-class - Arizona Drowning Prevention Coalition. https://www.preventdrownings.org/ - Azfamily & 3TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vea4FuIcUos - British Swim School Water Watcher. https://britishswimschool.com/waterwatchers/ - City of Plano, Texas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vFpf3WNxWs - Colin’s Hope. www.colinshope.org - Cooks Children Hospital. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcWzWht4yPY - CPSC Pool Safely. https://www.poolsafely.gov - Foss Swim School. http://www.fossswimshool.com - Ft. Worth Drowning Coalition. https://www.fwdpc.org/swim-safe-at-home - Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. https://glsrp.org/water-safety/ - - Independent Pool and Spa Service Association (IPSSA) San Diego Chapter: Water Watcher Program. - Levi’s Legacy. https://www.levislegacy.com/ - Mesa Fire Department. www.mesaaz.gov/fire - No More Under. https://www.nomoreunder.org/badge - Pool Troopers. https://pooltroopers.com/pool-watcher/ - REES Specht. https://www.facebook.com/watch/? v=384946865795316 - Safe Kids Worldwide. www.safekids.org - Swim Lesson University. http://www.swimlessonsuniversity.com - Texas Children’s Hospital. https://www.texaschildrens.org/departments/texas-childrens-hospital-woodlands/other- area-services/splash/water-watcher - Water Watcher App: Nomoreunder.org - YMCA of Greater Houston. https://www.facebook.com/YMCASouthFlorida/videos/633727404026156
High Risk Populations Addressed:
All populations can benefit from implementation of this recommendation, in particular:
- Children ages 1-4 and 5-9
- Individuals with autism
- Poor and non-swimmers
Evaluation Metrics:
Indicators of long-term impact:
- An annual reduction in water-related injuries and drownings across the local, state, and national levels
Implementation:
Consider the following to ensure successful implementation:
- Develop a unified national water safety message.
- Cultivate engagement by all possible stakeholders.
- Consider other successful public health and safety campaigns with clear, consistent messaging as models.
Challenges to Implementation:
When implementing this recommendation, you might encounter challenges related to the following factors.
- Unifying stakeholders to determine and disseminate a consistent national water safety message may be challenging.
Potential Facilitators:
The following factors might facilitate the implementation of this recommendation.
- National water safety organizations
GAP Recommendation:
Many different water watcher programs exist; however, they need to be further evaluated to determine their effectiveness.