Hamilton, Kyra, Keech, Jacob J., Phipps, Daniel John, Peden, Amy E., and Hagger, Martin S. (2024) Identifying the psychological correlates of parents’ intentions to enroll their children in learn-to-swim lessons for the first time. Journal of Safety Research, 91. pp. 175-182.

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Abstract

Introduction: While enrollment in swimming lessons is associated with lower drowning risk in children, many parents do not enroll their children in formal lessons. To understand these decisions, the current research investigated the social cognition factors that drive parents’ intentions to enroll their children for the first time.

Methods: Using a mixed methods design, beliefs about enrolling one’s child in swimming lessons were elicited in a sample of 22 Australian parents. A second sample of 323 then rated the extent to which they agree with each of these beliefs and completed measures of an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) model including autonomous motivation, risk perception, and role construction.

Results: Results showed a range of behavioral, normative, and control beliefs to significantly predict intention to enroll. In the model, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, risk perception, and role construction all predicted intention to enroll. Autonomous motivation had an indirect effect on intention via the TPB constructs.

Conclusions: Targeting beliefs that non-enrollment places a child at risk, that enrollment is under a parent’s control, that others would want parents to enroll their child, and that it is the responsibility as a parent to enroll their child may be viable messages for intervention.

Practical implications: Current results signpost several potential belief-based targets for interventions encouraging enrollment in swimming lessons. However, as qualitative data also indicated structural barriers to enrolment, such strategies should be paired with attempts to ensure swimming lessons are affordable and accessible to the wider population.

Item ID:	85180
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1879-1247
Copyright Information:	© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).
Date Deposited:	22 Apr 2025 03:26
FoR Codes:	42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4206 Public health > 420604 Injury prevention @ 100%
SEO Codes:	28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280112 Expanding knowledge in the health sciences @ 100%
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