International journal of injury control and safety promotion
-
Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot · Dec 2006
Toddler drowning prevention: teaching parents about water safety in conjunction with their child's in-water lessons.
The primary objective of the study was to develop a parent education programme that addressed parental misconceptions of toddler water safety previously identified by the authors. Parents (n = 106) of 2-4-year-old toddlers enrolled in swim school lessons completed a self-directed questionnaire before and after a 10-week poolside water safety programme. Differences in pre- and post-programme knowledge and beliefs were measured by frequency and chi-square tested to identify significant changes in parental comprehension of toddler water safety after the programme. ⋯ Parental understanding of child cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), however, did not improve after the programme. This study suggests that toddler lessons in swim schools provide a valuable opportunity to address parental misconceptions about toddler water safety. Further research is required to determine how parents whose toddlers do not attend swimming lessons might similarly benefit from such a programme.