Development of a tool for individual aquatic risk management among children

Abstract

Background: When it comes to children’s competence in, on and around water, their risk competence also plays an important role. For an optimal and save participation in aquatic recreation, there is a crucial need to communicate about a realistic perception of potential dangers in relation to one’s own acutal and perceived aquatic skills.  

Goals: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a tool for Individual Aquatic Risk Management for Children (IARM-C) useful in both research and practice regarding water safety for elementary school children and their families, as offered in schools, by local communities and different (water) sport organisations.

Method: The IARM-C tool was developed and validated in three subsequent phases: (1) a selection of relevant aquatic situations with possible risks for children based on the literature and discussed with experts, resulting in 10 aquatic situations that were drawn, (2) a pilot study with  22  children to test content (face) validity, and (3) a cross-sectional study with 70 children (6-12 years, 35 girls and 35 boys, 8.9 +/- 2.0 yearsrecruited via convenience sampling in different (swimming) schools in Brussel (Belgium) to test their risk perception, assessement and decision making in these 10 situations.

Results: For each of the 10 aquatic risk situations of the IARM-C, data collection was organised in a one-on-one interview in order to assist the child in completing the questionnaire. Six of the 10 pictures resulted in a correct risk perception for > 80% (range between 83-94%) of the children. For one drawn aquatic risk situation in the swimming pool context (i.e. falling on someone else), only 60% of the children gave a correct description of the situation. In the drawn open water aquatic risk situations, three pictures scored quite low (about 50% (range between 49%-54%)): warning flag at sea, dangerous objects in open water and sandbank at the sea.

Conclusions: The IARM-C tool, showing pictures of aquatic risk situations followed by three categories of questions (risk perception, assessement and decision making), is a usefull instrument for further research and education purposes, especially the swimming pool cases (> 80%).

Keywords: Water competence, aquatic skill, risky play, water recreation, swimming, swimming pool, open water.