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Parental Perceptions Of Water Competence And Drowning Risk For Themselves And Their Children In An Open Water Environment, Teresa Stanley, Kevin Moran Dr

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Little is known about people’s perceptions of how much swimming competency is required to provide protection from drowning, especially in open water environments where most drowning incidents occurs. This study reports on parental perceptions (n = 309) of swimming competency of themselves and their children, and parents beliefs on their safety when swimming in open water. Most parents (58%) considered themselves good/very good swimmers, although more than half (55%) considered that they could swim 25 m or less. Most parents (87%) reported that their children could swim, with more than one half (52%) believing that their child’s swimming competency …