Drowning and water safety
Conditions
Interventions
Study Setting: University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Sampling method: Simple random sampling will be used without any stratification, assuming that all first-year undergraduates have the same level of
Sponsors
Life Saving Victoria, Australia
Sri Lanka Life Saving
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: All male and female first-year undergraduates in the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka who consent to participate in the training programme.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Participants who have any previous formal swimming, lifesaving and cardiopulmonary resuscitation training. 2. Participants who suffer from seizure disorders and other brain-related disorders which may increase drowning risk drowning. 3. Participants with physical impairments that may affect their ability to undertake the survival swimming tests will be excluded to avoid the risk of accidental drowning. The health status of the students will be confirmed by physical assessment and thorough history assessment by the medical officer at the university health center, after thoroughly explaining the associated risks. 4. Participants who cannot communicate [understand, read and write] in the Sinhala language, as the survival swimming and water safety training team and data collectors in Sri Lanka are only trained in the Sinhala language. Due to time and resource restrictions, translation of the programme and data collection tools to other languages [mainly Tamil] and training coaches, assessors and lifesavers who speak those languages are not feasible for this study. Majority of the population speaks in Sinhala language.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Improvement of knowledge and attitudes on survival swimming assessed using a validated self-administered questionnaire [Time point: at baseline, just after the completion of 12th lesson and three months after the completion of the intervention] Improvement of survival swimming skills using a skills assessment protocol. This is a practical assessment will be done at the university swimming pool. Following skills will be assessed: (a) Basic Safe rescue methods (Pull and throw rescue), (b) Basic emergency response, (c) Reading safety signs, (d) Safe entry and safe exit, (e) Rotation, (f) Floating, (g) Swimming distance (50m). The skills a, b, c will be assessed outside the swimming pool, but at the premises of the swimming pool. The skills d, e, f, g will be assessed in the swimming pool. Note: Non-swimmers in the intervention group will not be allowed to get in to the pool during the pre-intervention assessment. Non swimmers in the control group will not be allowed to the swimming pool during both pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments. [Time point: at baseline, just after the completion of 12th lesson and three months after the completion of the intervention] | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| None [] | — |
Countries
Sri Lanka
Contacts
Public ContactMs. Ekanayaka Mudiyanselage Jeewanthika Sanya Kumari Ekanayaka
Lecturer (Probationary)
Outcome results
None listed