Kids Don’t Float…and Their Parents Don’t Either: Using a Family-Centered Approach in Alaska’s Kids Don’t Float Program

Authors

Michelle E. E. Bauer, University of OttawaFollow
Audrey R. Giles, University of OttawaFollow
Justina Marianayagam, Northern Ontario School of MedicineFollow
Kelli M. Toth, UnderwayUSAFollow

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25035/ijare.12.04.09

Disciplines

Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Exercise Physiology | Exercise Science | Health and Physical Education | Indigenous Studies | Kinesiology | Leisure Studies | Public Health | Public Health Education and Promotion | Sports Sciences | Sports Studies

Abstract

The goal of this experiential report is to outline the adoption of a family-centered Kids Don’t Float approach. We conducted a critical synthesis of information to reflect the expansion of the Kids Don’t Float program into a more family-centered approach. The critical synthesis provided insights into why we should adopt this approach, how it was implemented, and how it influenced drowning incidents compared to the previously used child-centered approach. The adoption of a family-centered approach may contribute to reducing drowning incidents by targeting parents, providing safety information to families, and promoting parental modelling of life jackets. Program evaluators and water safety advocates may use these insights to strengthen injury prevention programs that target drowning incidents.

Recommended Citation

Bauer, Michelle E. E.; Giles, Audrey R.; Marianayagam, Justina; and Toth, Kelli M. (2020) "Kids Don’t Float…and Their Parents Don’t Either: Using a Family-Centered Approach in Alaska’s Kids Don’t Float Program," International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education: Vol. 12: No. 4, Article 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25035/ijare.12.04.09
Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/ijare/vol12/iss4/9