Application of ecological dynamics principles to drowning prevention
Drowning has been identified as the cause of over 2.5 million preventable deaths globally in the past decade. Lower- and middle-income countries in Asia have recorded the highest numbers of drowning worldwide and children seem particularly vulnerable. Drowning is a complex phenomenon informed by mul...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667239122000065 |
| _version_ | 1797960095992119296 |
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| author | Chris Button Jonathan Leo Ng Carolina Burnay Tina van Duijn |
| author_facet | Chris Button Jonathan Leo Ng Carolina Burnay Tina van Duijn |
| author_sort | Chris Button |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drowning has been identified as the cause of over 2.5 million preventable deaths globally in the past decade. Lower- and middle-income countries in Asia have recorded the highest numbers of drowning worldwide and children seem particularly vulnerable. Drowning is a complex phenomenon informed by multiple interacting factors, and the majority of deaths occur in natural environments such as ponds, ditches, rivers and oceans. Any potential drowning prevention strategy should acknowledge the important relationships that are created between individuals and their environment in water safety education. In this article, we share how the ecological dynamics theoretical perspective can help inform our understanding of drowning prevention. First, we review recent drowning prevention recommendations provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). Next, we discuss how well WHO's recommendations align with the principles of ecological dynamics. It is acknowledged that in many Asian countries, there are considerable challenges to delivering WHO's drowning prevention interventions. Teaching children basic swimming, water safety and self-rescue skills remains the most practical means to prevent drowning. The relevant scale of analysis for understanding behaviour is the individual-environment relationship. Specifically, the relative fit between these components may dictate how well water safety skills are learnt. Considerations such as installing barriers and adequate supervision around water can be scaffolded alongside an understanding of affordances in the context of water safety. We conclude that water safety education informed by an ecological dynamics approach is an effective partnership to help tackle the drowning pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T00:42:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2d60bedd03214dddaf3946ddd5284e3a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-2391 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T00:42:17Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-2d60bedd03214dddaf3946ddd5284e3a2023-01-06T04:18:11ZengKeAi Communications Co. Ltd.Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology2667-23912022-06-01215966Application of ecological dynamics principles to drowning preventionChris Button0Jonathan Leo Ng1Carolina Burnay2Tina van Duijn3Corresponding author.; School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New ZealandSchool of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New ZealandSchool of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New ZealandSchool of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New ZealandDrowning has been identified as the cause of over 2.5 million preventable deaths globally in the past decade. Lower- and middle-income countries in Asia have recorded the highest numbers of drowning worldwide and children seem particularly vulnerable. Drowning is a complex phenomenon informed by multiple interacting factors, and the majority of deaths occur in natural environments such as ponds, ditches, rivers and oceans. Any potential drowning prevention strategy should acknowledge the important relationships that are created between individuals and their environment in water safety education. In this article, we share how the ecological dynamics theoretical perspective can help inform our understanding of drowning prevention. First, we review recent drowning prevention recommendations provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). Next, we discuss how well WHO's recommendations align with the principles of ecological dynamics. It is acknowledged that in many Asian countries, there are considerable challenges to delivering WHO's drowning prevention interventions. Teaching children basic swimming, water safety and self-rescue skills remains the most practical means to prevent drowning. The relevant scale of analysis for understanding behaviour is the individual-environment relationship. Specifically, the relative fit between these components may dictate how well water safety skills are learnt. Considerations such as installing barriers and adequate supervision around water can be scaffolded alongside an understanding of affordances in the context of water safety. We conclude that water safety education informed by an ecological dynamics approach is an effective partnership to help tackle the drowning pandemic.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667239122000065AffordancesChildrenDrowningEducationWater safety |
| spellingShingle | Chris Button Jonathan Leo Ng Carolina Burnay Tina van Duijn Application of ecological dynamics principles to drowning prevention Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology Affordances Children Drowning Education Water safety |
| title | Application of ecological dynamics principles to drowning prevention |
| title_full | Application of ecological dynamics principles to drowning prevention |
| title_fullStr | Application of ecological dynamics principles to drowning prevention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Application of ecological dynamics principles to drowning prevention |
| title_short | Application of ecological dynamics principles to drowning prevention |
| title_sort | application of ecological dynamics principles to drowning prevention |
| topic | Affordances Children Drowning Education Water safety |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667239122000065 |
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