Lack of caregiver supervision : A contributing factor in Australian unintentional child drowning deaths, 2000-2009
- Authors: Petrass, Lauren , Blitvich, Jennifer , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Medical Journal of Australia Vol. 194, no. 5 (2011), p. 228-231
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565904
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: To establish how frequently supervision was explicitly identified as a factor in coroner-certified unintentional drowning deaths of children in Australia, and to determine the percentage of cases where failure of supervision may have been a contributing factor; also, to identify the proportion of cases with coroners' recommendations relating to supervision and unintentional child drownings. Design and setting: Retrospective case-series analysis of unintentional drowning deaths of children (aged 0-14 years) in Australia from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2009, based on data from the National Coroners Information System (NCIS). Main outcome measures: Number of unintentional child drownings and the extent to which supervisory factors were formally reported by coroners as a contributing factor; proportion of cases with coroners' findings that also had coroners' recommendations. Results: 339 relevant child drownings were identified within the 9-year period. Supervision (or lack thereof) was identified as a contributing factor in 71.7%. However, specific detail about the nature and extent of supervision varied across these cases. The availability of text documents describing the findings (police reports, coroners' findings, autopsy reports, toxicology reports), and the level of detail within these documents, also varied considerably across jurisdictions. Despite almost half (47.2%) of the closed cases having coroners' findings attached, only 15% of these also included specific coroners' recommendations. Conclusion: Lack of adequate supervision, or lack thereof, is a significant problem associated with fatal drownings of children in Australia. There is a need to improve the standard and consistency of information contained in text documents within the NCIS to provide more useful information for preventing child drowning deaths.
Observations of caregiver supervision of children at beaches : Identification of factors associated with high supervision
- Authors: Petrass, Lauren , Blitvich, Jennifer , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Injury Prevention Vol. 17, no. 4 (2011), p. 244-249
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565904
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective: To identify independent factors associated with caregiver supervision levels at beaches. Methods: Children (aged 1-14 years) engaged in beach play and their caregivers were observed at Australian beaches during September-April, 2008/09. Caregiver, child, and environmental factor data were collected and recorded on a validated observation instrument. The main outcome of interest was a continuous measure of supervision. After adjusting for potential clustering by beach/state, multivariable linear regression was used to identify independent factors associated with caregiver supervision. Results: Four independent predictors of supervision and one interaction effect (child age by the caregiver and child position on beach) were identified. Caregivers who were supervising from a different position to where the child was playing were less likely to provide high supervision, as were older caregivers (>35 years) compared to younger caregivers (≤34 years). Compared to children playing alone, children playing with one, or two or more others were less likely to receive high supervision, and children aged 1-4 years were likely to receive higher supervision than older children. Conclusion: This study provides new knowledge about underlying factors associated with the level of caregiver supervision in beach settings. Future studies should continue to explore independent predictors of supervision so that effective programmes, which focus on caregiver supervision, can be targeted to address poor supervision practices.
Self-reported supervisory behavior and beliefs vs. actual observations of caregiver behavior at beaches
- Authors: Petrass, Lauren , Blitvich, Jennifer , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education Vol. 5, no. 2 (May 2011), p. 199-209
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565904
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study examined self-reported supervisory behaviors of caregivers at beaches and ascertained whether self-reported supervision reflects observed behavior. Observations were conducted of caregiver/child pairs at 18 Australian beaches, with questionnaires subsequently completed by caregivers. Caregivers identified visual contact as essential for close supervision and proximity a key determinant in distinguishing supervision and close supervision. Supervisory behavior was associated with child age, while lifeguard patrol had no effect on supervision. All supervision statements from the PSAPQ-BEACH were associated with supervision. Only three statements were significant independent predictors of supervision. Comparisons suggest caregivers' self-reported supervisory behavior reflects actual supervision. As this is the first study of its kind, it is essential that further prospective research using mixed-method approaches build on this information.
Adapting an established measure of supervision for beach settings. Is the parent supervision attributes profile questionnaire reliable?
- Authors: Petrass, Lauren , Blitvich, Jennifer , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion Vol. 18, no. 2 (2011), p. 113-117
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565904
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Parent Supervision Attributes Profile Questionnaire (PSAPQ), developed to measure aspects of caregiver supervision and protectiveness and previously applied within playgrounds and in the home, was modified for implementation in a beach setting. To assess the test-retest reliability of the PSAPQ beach modification (PSAPQBEACH), 20 caregivers completed the PSAPQ-BEACH twice, over a mean interval of 18 days (range 10-24). The test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the PSAPQ-BEACH scores were compared to those of the PSAPQ. All scores on the PSAPQ-BEACH were higher than the PSAPQ, providing evidence that the questionnaire remains reliable after its adaptation to beach settings. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.