Parent/Caregiver Lack of Knowledge: A Barrier for Youth Swimming Ability?

This study examined how a parent’s lack of knowledge of potential opportunities and barriers may restrict the child’s opportunity to learn how to swim. A survey was completed in multiple urban areas (N=524), where parents/caregivers reported their child’s swimming ability, as well as the parent’s knowledge of possible barriers to their child’s participation in swimming. ANOVA results suggested that the only significant difference between the presence of barriers groupings for child’s swimming ability were based on the availability of a pool and ease of access. For potential barriers examined, the group who lacked of barriers had a significantly lower perception of their child’s swimming ability than the group who recognized barriers (p\u3c.001 for all), suggesting that while physical barriers may play a role in a child’s likelihood of learning to swim, the most significant barrier may be the involvement and knowledge of the parent/caregiver

An Investigation of Youth Swimming Skills and Method of Instruction

Drowning is a leading cause of death for US children. Teaching youth to swim in a formal setting from certified instructors is a consistent drowning prevention recommendation. Purposes for this investigation was to examine type of swimming instruction and ability to swim and compare to attitudes toward swimming among US youth. Methods were similar to previous USA Swimming studies in 2008 and 2010. YMCA associations in five cities were used to recruit adolescent survey respondents (n=600) aged 12-18 years. Results showed African American youth had the lowest rate of formal swimming instruction (29%) compared to White (32%) and Hispanic (42%) peers. Free/reduced lunch qualifiers reported a 23% formal instruction rate as compared to 43% of non-qualifiers. Formally instructed youth were 2.35 times more likely to report being a skilled swimmer (86%) compared to informally instructed youth (72%). Formal swimming instruction is recommended, and interventions need to target underserved populations

Utilizing Community-Based Social Marketing in a Recycling Intervention With Tailgaters

The purpose of the current study was to design and implement a pilot intervention following the community-based social marketing (CBSM) process (McKenzie-Mohr & Smith, 1999) and Darnton’s (2008) social marketing framework to change the recycling knowledge and behaviors of tailgaters during home football events for a particular institution of higher education. Researchers asked what effect does a CBSM intervention have on the recycling behavior (via self-reported opinion and actual materials recycled) as well as self-reported knowledge among tailgaters during home football events for a particular IHE. In addition, researchers asked whether the use of students and student-athletes, from the respective IHE, as recycling educators would be better received by tailgaters than some other set of individuals. Both objective and subjective evidence support a conclusion that the pilot intervention enhanced the recycling behavior and recycling knowledge of tailgaters. Subjective evidence supports a conclusion that the tailgaters were more receptive to students and student-athletes than they would have been had some other set of individuals been the recycling educators. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by demonstrating that community-based social marketing approaches to behavior change, particularly multifaceted approaches incorporating a variety of techniques, are effective in positively changing behavior in a sport tailgating setting. Furthermore, this study provides insights for managers that tailgaters, in a context rife with identifiable constraints, are receptive to educational and behavior change-based interventions and participating in a research study utilizing the methodologies outlined in the current study. The CBSM approach described herein may serve as an effective manner in which to approach these behavior-change initiatives, green or otherwise. The present study provides an example of how sport organizations, and college athletics in particular, can operate to address proenvironmental efforts specific to mitigating the burden that sport places on the physical environment

The Development of Swimming Skills for African American Youth: Parent and Caregiver Perceptions of Barriers and Motivations

African American urban youth participate in swimming at an alarmingly low rate with 69% self-reporting low or no swimming skill (Irwin, Irwin, Martin,&Ross, 2010). This lack of participation translates into a drowning rate three times as high as than their White/European American peers (CDC, 2009). To investigate this issue, 12 focus groups were conducted with parents and caregivers of swimming and nonswimming children at YMCAs in six American cities. Parents/caregivers who self-identified as Black or African American shared attitudes and values that impacted their child\u27s swimming participation. Some participants in the study identified structural barriers such as a lack of time, money, or facilities. Others shared attitudes of fear and discomfort in being in and around water. Parent/caregiver attitudes had a substantial impact on children\u27s opportunities to learn to swim. There was evidence that cultural expectations about swimming impacted the choices parents in this study made regarding swimming participation. Focus group participants shared strategies of effective messaging to influence caregiver attitudes to positively impact participation. © 2014 Human Kinetics, Inc