- Title
- Self-reported water and drowning risk exposure at surf beaches
- Creator
- Morgan, Damian; Ozanne-Smith, Joan; Triggs, Thomas
- Date
- 2009
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/73613
- Identifier
- vital:7096
- Identifier
- ISSN:1326-0200
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-6405.2009.00367.x
- Abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To document patterns of water exposure at surf beaches by gender and identify factors that predict bather confidence to return to shore if caught in a rip current. METHOD: Recreational surf beach bathers (N=406) provided self-completed data on water exposure patterns, surf activity behaviours and potential drowning risk and protective factors. RESULTS: Relative to females, males visited surf beaches more frequently, expected to spend longer in the water and in deeper water, and more often bathed after using alcohol (p<0.05). Confidence to return to shore if caught in a rip current was predicted by confidence to identify a rip current, self-rated swimming ability, gender, times visited any beach, and age in a standard linear regression model (adjusted R(2)=0.68). CONCLUSION: The study supports explanations that high male drowning rates result from more frequent exposure to water than females at high situational risk levels. IMPLICATIONS: Controlled studies are required to determine the role in drowning of overconfidence, swimming ability, surf experience, floatation .
- Relation
- Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health Vol. 33, no. 2 (2009), p. 180-188
- Rights
- Copyright Wiley-Blackwell
- Rights
- This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
- Subject
- 1117 Public Health and Health Services; 1402 Applied Economics; 1605 Policy and Administration
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