School of Critical Studies in Education (CRSTE), Faculty of Education, The University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot. 2009 Dec;16(4):215-21. doi: 10.1080/17457300903307045.
Lack of appropriate supervision is a persistent risk factor in most child drowning incidents. The risks to young children associated with swimming at beaches place a premium on close and constant supervision by caregivers. However, little is known about caregiver supervisory practice and perceptions of child water safety at beaches. Adults (N = 769) in charge of children under 10 years of age were surveyed at 18 New Zealand beaches during the summer of 2007 to ascertain caregiver perceptions of their water safety skills, risk of drowning for their child and their supervisory behaviours. Most parents (78%) estimated that they could swim 100 m non-stop in open water, almost one half (48%) had been certified in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and one quarter (24%) had received some rescue/lifesaving training. More than one quarter (29%) failed to provide appropriate supervision for their under 5-year olds at the beach. Almost half (46%) of caregivers did not provide close supervision for their 5-9 year olds. Although there were no significant differences between males and female self-reported supervision, male caregivers were more likely to rate their 5-9 year olds as good swimmers and less likely to estimate a high risk of drowning for that age group. To address shortcomings in caregiver supervision, it is suggested that water safety education initiatives emphasise how to provide close and constant supervision of young children at beaches. Furthermore, a focus on the necessity for caution when estimating risk and ability to cope with open water conditions is recommended.
缺乏适当的监督是大多数儿童溺水事件中的一个持续存在的风险因素。在海滩游泳对幼儿的风险很高，需要照顾者密切且持续的监督。然而，人们对海滩上照顾者的监督实践和儿童水上安全的看法知之甚少。2007 年夏天，在新西兰的 18 个海滩上对 769 名负责 10 岁以下儿童的成年人进行了调查，以确定照顾者对其水上安全技能、孩子溺水风险和监督行为的看法。大多数家长（78%）估计他们可以在开阔水域中不间断地游 100 米，近一半（48%）人接受过心肺复苏认证，四分之一（24%）人接受过一些救援/救生培训。超过四分之一（29%）的人在海滩上对 5 岁以下的儿童没有提供适当的监督。近一半（46%）的照顾者没有为他们 5-9 岁的孩子提供密切监督。尽管男性和女性自我报告的监督之间没有显著差异，但男性照顾者更有可能将他们 5-9 岁的孩子评为游泳高手，而不太可能估计该年龄段溺水的风险很高。为了解决照顾者监督方面的不足，建议水上安全教育计划强调如何在海滩上对幼儿进行密切和持续的监督。此外，建议关注在估计风险和应对开阔水域条件时谨慎的必要性。
