“They don't think it will ever happen to them”: Exploring factors affecting participation in alcohol‐influenced aquatic activity among young Australian adults

Abstract

Issue addressed: Young adults are over-represented in alcohol-related drownings in high-income countries; however, little research has investigated their behaviours and decision-making to inform prevention efforts.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 young Australian adults (aged 18-24 years). Questions, informed by previous research, inquired about behavioural practices in aquatic contexts and influences on involvement in alcoholinfluenced aquatic activity. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Thematic and interpretative phenomenological analysis followed.Results: Two main themes: personal and contextual awareness, and the impact of other people affected perceptions and involvement in alcohol-influenced aquatic activity. Perceived control of situations and self-confidence affected how these influences impacted individuals' involvement. Participants acknowledged some young adults likely overestimate their aquatic abilities. This awareness was not discussed in relation to their own capabilities. Conclusion:Drowning prevention efforts should inform young adults of the dangers of combining alcohol and aquatic activities, and make risks appear more immediate and applicable. Consideration should be given to measuring both perceived and actual aquatic abilities within various aquatic environments, to determine whether self-reported perceived competence is an accurate proxy measure for actual aquatic ability. The influence of alcohol should also be highlighted. Steps are required for a positive shift in Australian norms of alcohol use in aquatic settings and the social and cultural attitudes towards this. So what? This study provides new insight into young adults' perceptions and involvement in alcohol-influenced aquatic activity. It enhances the evidence base for drowning prevention and health promotion practitioners and should inform more focused campaigns to prevent alcohol-related drownings among young Australian adults.

Young people's alcohol use in and around water: A scoping review of the literature

“…Eight studies were published in the last 5 years (since 2018) [6, 10, 30–35]. Seven studies used a cross‐sectional survey design [6, 23, 24, 32, 34–36], four used qualitative methods [10, 30, 31, 37], and one was a mixed methods study using interviews and a cross‐sectional survey [33]. The remaining study was a narrative review of literature investigating the notion of ‘dangerous masculinities’ concerning drowning risk among young men [38].…”

“…A study of 'Leavers' celebrations in WA found that while most participants (92%) were aware of the risks of combining alcohol and aquatic activities, only 17% of those who had consumed alcohol around water identified the activity as risky [34]. Some activities were associated with an increased risk, including activities in open (e.g., ocean) rather than closed water (e.g., pools), proposed by the authors as likely due to the perceived predictability [37], control, and familiarity of the latter [31]. Further, activities involving greater alcohol consumption were seen as higher risk [31].…”

“…Alcohol consumption in aquatic environments was found to be most common among males [6,31,34,38], on public holidays [10,31], and among those living in regional areas [6,34], as well as when in larger groups with few onlookers (as compared with small groups in populated areas) [31]. In addition, among WA young people (aged 18-24 years) consumption of alcohol around water increased in prevalence with each year of age [6], and WA boat-owners aged 18-34 years were more likely to have consumed alcohol on their last boating trip than older respondents, although this was not statistically significant [36].…”

“…The most frequently self-reported study limitations included a lack of generalisability due to the homogeneity and/or size of the sample [6, 10, 13, 23, 24, 30-33, 35, 36, 47], the possibility of social desirability bias [6,10,23,24,30,[32][33][34][35][36]47], and the self-report nature of data collection [6,24,25,32,35,36,38]. Other limitations relating to sampling included convenience sampling [31,34,47] and the possibility of participation bias, whereby only those who thought the study was relevant to them (e.g., those who drink alcohol) may have chosen to participate [35]. Study design limitations mentioned included the correlational or cross-sectional study design [25], the heterogeneity of focus group membership [10], high attrition rate and short followup [47] and the fact that only some parts of an intervention were evaluated [30,47].…”

“…Risk perception was an important determinant of behaviour, with those more concerned about the risks involved being less likely to swim after drinking alcohol [6]. However, studies also showed that while many young adults were aware of the risks of combining alcohol with aquatic activities [34,37], this awareness did not always translate into behaviour to reduce risks [31,34]. This highlights multiple influences on young adults' alcohol use around water, with risk perception being just one.…”