Program aims to help reduce drowning risks

by Sally Bouorm | March 1, 2014 3:21 pm

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By Barbara Byers and Kelly Manoukas

Swimming pools and hot tubs bring years of enjoyment. They offer an opportunity to spend time with friends and family, while also providing many health and fitness benefits, such as stress-release. However, it is important not to lose sight of safety first. It should be a way of life for everyone around the swimming pool—especially young children and thrill-seeking teens.

It is not uncommon for parents to be perplexed at times about their teen’s behaviour. In fact, a growing body of research on the teen brain is helping experts understand its physiology and what actually leads them to participate in thrill-seeking activities and risky behaviour. Research in the cognitive development of the teen brain specifies the part responsible for controlling impulses and regulating behaviour is not fully developed. This means the development of the pleasure-seeking, thrill-seeking, risk-taking part of their brains is outpacing the growth of the parts which control inhibitions. Teens are especially motivated by risks and thrills when in the presence of their peers[2]. Therefore, this helps explain why teens are at an increased risk of drowning.

“We know that as our children enter adolescence, they gain increased freedom and independence, spending more time with friends, and making decisions in unsupervised settings,” says Dr. Jean Clinton, an associate clinical professor, department of psychiatry and behavioural neuroscience at McMaster University, division of child psychiatry. “The teenage brain is under construction; the thrill-seeking, pleasure-seeking part of their brain is developing at a faster rate than the judgment and impulse inhibition skills that adults have.”

Further, a recent Angus Reid public opinion poll commissioned by the Lifesaving Society[3], revealed the following about Canadian parents of teens:

• Ninety-seven per cent are confident about their teens’ ability to stay safe around water; however, 47 per cent have either never taken swimming lessons or took swimming lessons more than five years ago;
• Less than half (46 per cent) say they worry very little or not at all about their teens’ safety around water, despite the fact that one in five (19 per cent) say their teens will participate in water activities unsupervised this summer, and nearly half (48 per cent) say their teens will participate in both supervised and unsupervised water activities this summer; and
• Twenty-eight per cent of parents believe their teen would jump in to save a friend if they unexpectedly fell into a swimming pool (20 per cent if it was a lake).

These statistics are particularly concerning because the teenage brain is still developing, says Dr. Clinton.

“Teens have to take risks—it’s part of their development,” she explains. “But we want them to take safer risks. Programs like Swim to Survive+ (a Lifesaving Society initiative that builds upon the original Swim to Survive program), will arm them with the necessary skills they need to take safer risks when they are with their friends.”

Parents know their kids are going to be around water this summer and, while they may feel confident their teens will be safe, the fact is, many have not had the proper training to be safe and many of them would impulsively jump in to save a friend. With the Swim to Survive+ program, the Lifesaving Society aims to equip teenagers with practical life-saving skills that will prepare them for their increased independence and freedom, and hopefully reduce the incidents of drowning long-term.

Ensuring teens have swim survival skills

The Lifesaving Society is paying special attention to the results of the public opinion poll by expanding the Swim to Survive+ program. This research reinforces the need to ensure teens have swimming survival skills and knowledge to keep themselves and their friends safe when their brain physiology puts them at risk around water.

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That said, the Lifesaving Society is constantly looking for ways to reduce the risk of drowning, especially among those at highest risk. The risk-taking 18 to 24 year-olds continue to have the highest water-related death rate of any age group in Canada at 2.2 per 100,000[5].

The Swim to Survive+ program teaches the skills needed to survive real-life aquatic situations by building on the skills learned in the Swim to Survive program (for Grade 3 children), which was introduced in 2005. The program fosters good judgment to help teens stay safe around water by teaching participants to:

1. Perform the Swim to Survive standard while clothed (e.g. roll into deep water, tread for one minute, and swim 50 m [164 ft]);
2. Use good judgment to assist a friend who falls into deep water without putting themselves in danger (by remaining on deck) and getting help by calling an adult or 911; and
3. Complete a fitness swim.

Swim to Survive+, which is solely funded through personal and corporate donations and sponsorships, is appropriate for any level of swimmer. Water incidents can happen anywhere and Swim to Survive+ looks to help safeguard children and teens around water now and for years to come.

With the support of TransCanada Corporation, PPL Aquatic, Fitness & Spa Group and the Papke Family, and the Swim to Survive/Swim to Survive+ founding sponsor, the Stephanie Gaetz Keepsafe Foundation, the Lifesaving Society has been able to expand the Swim to Survive+ program to reach Grade 7 students during the 2013-14 school years at this critical stage of their development. By targeting this age, the Lifesaving Society hopes to equip them with the practical water safety skills they need to keep themselves and their friends’ safe well into adulthood.

 

 

[6]Barbara Byers is the Lifesaving Society Ontario public education director. She is responsible for the Water Smart® drowning prevention campaign. Byers is past chair of the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC) and a member of the International Life Saving Federation’s (ILS’s) Drowning Prevention Commission. She can be reached via e-mail at barbarab@lifeguarding.com[7].

 

 

[8]Kelly Manoukas is the Lifesaving Society Ontario fund developer responsible for the society’s fundraising portfolio. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). To support the society’s initiatives, e-mail kellym@lifeguarding.com[9].

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