Unintentional drowning claims 283 lives on average per year in Australia. For every fatal drowning, a further three people are hospitalised due to a non-fatal drowning. Drowning has been described by the World Health Organization as an under recognised public health concern, causing social and economic harm. In Australia, fatal drowning alone is estimated to cost the economy $1.24 billion annually, aside from the social and emotional trauma of being impacted by drowning. Drowning occurs in a range of locations and drowning risk is impacted by unsafe practices. Drowning prevention strategies span legislative change with associated enforcement regimes, learning to swim, improving education on drowning risk and strategies to reduce the risk, increasing public awareness and even the tertiary prevention strategy of improving community-level CPR skills. However, drowning prevention interventions are greatly enhanced by an understanding of the psychological motivations impacting behaviours, in particular, risky behaviours in and around water. This symposia will explore a body of work targeting a range of aquatic-related behaviours including alcohol consumption at inland waterways and among young males, learner drivers and floodwaters, parental practices around portable pool safety for young children, and factors impacting on lifeguard’s role in preventing drowning at public swimming pools.
Kyra Hamilton (Griffith), Jacob Keech (USC), Stephanie Smith (Griffith), Stacey Willcox-Pidgeon (James Cook Uni) & Amy Peden (UNSW)