UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
Department of Pediatric Surgery, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
Front Public Health. 2024 Jul 10;12:1387094. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1387094. eCollection 2024.
Adolescents aged 15 to 19 years have the second highest fatal drowning rate of any age group, second only to toddlers aged 12 to 36 months. This risk is amplified in black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and those of low socioeconomic status. Worcester, MA is a diverse city with over 40% of residents identifying as BIPOC and 20% living below the poverty line. The city has multiple natural bodies of water available for recreation, putting Worcester residents, particularly adolescents, at high risk of drowning. It is known that swimming lessons provided to adolescents significantly improve their swimming skills, however many programs are tailored to young children and are not appropriate for adolescents. Students from the University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan Medical School (UMass Chan), in collaboration with community partners, developed a water safety and swim education program tailored to Worcester adolescents as a means for an age-appropriate swim experience and education, community engagement, and injury prevention. Water Safe Worcester (WSW) was established as a city-wide injury prevention program that included swim lessons offered by medical students at the Central Community Branch YMCA in Worcester, MA. Instructors included UMass Chan medical students, graduate students, and staff. Adolescent YMCA members were invited to participate in lessons free of charge. Lessons were 90 min and emphasized a 3-fold approach: (1) expand knowledge of water safety and what to do in an emergency, (2) increase swimming skills, and (3) reduce fear of water. The overall attendance for the 2023 spring and summer sessions offered was 73 students, including multiple swimmers who attended more than one session. A total of 12 volunteers participated, which included 9 first-year medical students, one PhD student, one research assistant, and one surgery resident from UMass Chan. WSW demonstrated promising outcomes during its swim education classes, suggesting that WSW is a successful model to promote water safety, reduce the risk of drowning, and expand access to life-saving skills to Worcester's at-risk adolescents. This program serves as a critical step toward health equity while also providing an avenue for public health and injury prevention exposure for medical students.
15 至 19 岁的青少年是所有年龄段中溺水死亡率第二高的人群，仅次于 12 至 36 个月大的幼儿。这种风险在黑人和原住民以及有色人种（BIPOC）以及社会经济地位较低的人群中更为放大。马萨诸塞州伍斯特市是一个多元化的城市，超过 40%的居民是 BIPOC，20%的居民生活在贫困线以下。该市有多个可供娱乐的天然水体，这使得伍斯特居民，尤其是青少年，面临很高的溺水风险。众所周知，为青少年提供游泳课程可以显著提高他们的游泳技能，但是许多课程都是针对幼儿的，不适合青少年。马萨诸塞大学 T.H. Chan 医学院（UMass Chan）的学生与社区合作伙伴合作，为伍斯特青少年量身定制了一项水上安全和游泳教育计划，作为一种适合年龄的游泳体验和教育、社区参与和伤害预防的手段。Water Safe Worcester（WSW）是一个全市范围的伤害预防计划，包括由马萨诸塞州伍斯特市中央社区分部 YMCA 的医学生提供的游泳课程。教练包括 UMass Chan 的医学生、研究生和工作人员。邀请 YMCA 的青少年成员免费参加课程。课程为 90 分钟，强调了三重方法：（1）扩大对水上安全和紧急情况下应做什么的了解，（2）提高游泳技能，（3）减少对水的恐惧。2023 年春季和夏季课程的总出勤率为 73 名学生，其中包括多名参加了不止一次课程的游泳者。共有 12 名志愿者参加，其中包括 9 名一年级医学生、1 名博士生、1 名研究助理和 1 名 UMass Chan 的外科住院医师。WSW 在其游泳教育课程中表现出了有希望的结果，表明 WSW 是一个成功的模式，可以促进水上安全，降低溺水风险，并为伍斯特市的高危青少年扩大救生技能的获取途径。该计划是实现健康公平的关键一步，同时也为医学生提供了公共卫生和伤害预防的机会。
