Beach safety knowledge of visiting international study abroad students to Australia

Clifford, Kirsten M.; Brander, Robert W.; Trimble, Sarah; Houser, Chris

doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2018.06.032

Cited by 33 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Beachgoers are exposed to drowning risk related to rip currents. This is due to a range of factors such as: unfamiliarity with the environment and associated hazards (Ballantyne et al 2005;Clifford et al 2018;Moran and Ferner 2017), poor swimming abilities (Drozdzewski et al 2015;Williamson et al 2012) and inattention when on vacation (Clifford et al 2018;Wilks and Pendergast 2010). Every year, hundreds of people drown and tens of thousands more are rescued from rip currents globally [e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rip current hazard assessment on a sandy beach in Liguria, NW Mediterranean

et al. 2020

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Rip currents are one of the most significant environmental hazards for beachgoers and are of interest to coastal scientists. Several studies have been conducted to understand rip current dynamics, and several approaches for rip hazard assessment have been proposed. In general, the purpose is to provide knowledge and tools to support authorities and lifeguards in rip current risk prevention. This study proposes the application of an expeditious methodology to evaluate rip current hazard and risk, based on probability theory. The tested area was located along the Alassio beach, a renowned tourist destination located on the western Ligurian coast (NW Italy). A coastal video-monitoring system was used for rip currents individuation, whereas wave data were collected thanks to an oceanographic buoy managed by Regione Liguria. In detail, a yearly analysis was performed to identify the correspondence between rip currents and wave parameters data. The results showed that rip currents occur, in the study area, under moderate wave conditions ($$0.5 \le H_s \le 1.34$$ 0.5 ≤ H s ≤ 1.34 m; $$4.7\le T_m \le 7.0$$ 4.7 ≤ T m ≤ 7.0 s; $$150^{\circ }\,\hbox {N} \le \theta _m \le 227^{\circ }$$ 150 ∘ N ≤ θ m ≤ 227 ∘ N). Based on this analysis, an easy application of the probability theory was applied to evaluate the level of hazard. Moreover, considering the official tourist data, we also perform an expeditious rip currents risk evaluation. The results showed that the hazard level is considered high at annual time scale and moderate during the tourist season; the risk is related to seasonal presences. The study can propose a tool to support authorities and lifeguards in water safety planning and management.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rip current hazard assessment on a sandy beach in Liguria, NW Mediterranean

et al. 2020

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“…Priorities for new migrants are generally securing housing, employment and education55; therefore, learning to swim and participating in aquatic recreation is not often an immediate priority. A challenge for drowning prevention, and health promotion practitioners in general, is finding the best time/opportunity to offer/implement appropriate interventions, with readiness to participate likely to vary across different communities 55 56…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying a gap in drowning prevention: high-risk populations

Willcox-Pidgeon¹,

Franklin

Leggat

et al. 2020

Inj Prev

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IntroductionSome populations have been less susceptible to reductions in drowning than others. It has been hypothesised that this is due to prevention strategies failing to account for the influence of social determinants (such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status). Populations such as ethnic minorities have been over-represented in injury statistics, however this is not well explored in drowning. This study aims to identify high-risk populations for drowning, risk factors and prevention strategies.MethodsA literature review undertaken systematically using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses approach was conducted of peer-reviewed literature in English, published between 1990 and 2018 from high-income countries. Search terms included drowning, water safety, ethnic minority, migrant, and culturally diverse.ResultsIn total, 35 articles were included. High-risk populations identified were: ethnic minorities, First Nations/Aboriginal people, migrants and rural residents. Over half (51%) focused on children (0–18 years). Risk factors included social determinants, swimming ability and knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. Four intervention studies were found; two focused on upskilling adults from high-risk populations to increase employment opportunities within the aquatic industry; an evaluation of a 10-year rock fishing safety education project and a learn-to-swim programme for minority children. Proposed prevention strategies included education, practical skills, research, policy and engagement.DiscussionLimited literature exists pertaining to drowning among adults from high-risk populations. There is a need to increase the sophistication of drowning prevention strategies addressing the disparities in drowning from a culturally appropriate perspective. Acknowledging the role of the social determinants of health in drowning prevention is essential in order to improve drowning outcomes for high-risk populations globally.

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“…asked to identify a rip current (Morgan et al, 2009a), or by asking people to directly identify rip currents in photographs taken from various perspectives (Moran, 2008;Caldwell et al, 2013;Brannstrom et al, 2015;Clifford et al, 2018), or to identify the safest place to swim in a photograph of a beach (Sherker et al, 2010;Gallop et al, 2016;Houser et al, 2017;Willcox-Pidgeon et al, 2017;Clifford et al, 2018;Fallon et al, 2018). However, Ménard et al (2018) noted that a fundamental problem is the lack of research investigating whether an individual's ability to identify a rip, or a safe swimming area in a photograph, translates to an equal ability to spot a rip current in situ at the beach.…”

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confidence: 99%

Beachgoers’ ability to identify rip currents at a beach in situ

Pitman¹,

Thompson²,

Hart³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Abstract. Rip currents (rips) are the leading cause of drowning on surf beaches worldwide. A major contributing factor is that many beachgoers are unable to identify rip currents. Previous research has attempted to quantify beachgoers' rip spotting ability using photographs of rip currents, without identifying whether this usefully translates into an ability to spot a rip current in situ at the beach. This study is the first to compare beachgoers ability to spot rip currents in photographs and in situ at a beach in New Zealand (Muriwai Beach) where a channel rip current was present. Only 22 % of respondents were able to identify the in situ rip current. The highest rates of success were for males (33 %), New Zealand residents (25 %), and local beach users (29 %). Of all respondents who were successful at identifying the rip current in situ, 62 % were active surfers/bodyboarders and 28 % were active beach swimmers. Of the respondents who were able to identify a rip current in two photographs, only 34 % were unable to translate this into a successful in situ rip identification, which suggests that the ability to identify rip currents by beachgoers is worse than reported by previous studies involving photographs. This study highlights the difficulty of successfully identifying a rip current in reality and that photographs are not necessarily a useful means of teaching individuals to spot rip currents. It advocates for the use of more immersive and realistic education strategies, such as the use of virtual reality headsets showing moving imagery (videos) of rip currents in order to improve rip spotting ability.

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Beach safety knowledge of visiting international study abroad students to Australia

Cited by 33 publications

References 37 publications

Rip current hazard assessment on a sandy beach in Liguria, NW Mediterranean

Rip current hazard assessment on a sandy beach in Liguria, NW Mediterranean

Identifying a gap in drowning prevention: high-risk populations

Beachgoers’ ability to identify rip currents at a beach in situ

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