Wilcox-Pidgeon, Stacey, Franklin, R.C., and Devine, S. (2025) Drowning prevention strategies for migrant adults in Australia: a qualitative multiple case study. BMC Public Health, 25. 1911.

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Abstract

Drowning is a global public health issue, with minority populations, including migrants, experiencing significant disparities in drowning. The World Health Organization recommends learning to swim as a strategy to reduce drowning. In Australia, migrants are identified as a priority population for drowning prevention, accounting for approximately one-third of all drowning deaths.

This study aimed to identify swimming and water safety programs aimed at adult migrant populations in Australia and to explore how these programs are meeting the needs of migrant adults.

Using a qualitative multiple case study methodology a desktop review was conducted of 30 publicly accessible swimming and water safety programs across Australia aimed at migrant communities. From this review, six programs were purposively selected for in-depth analysis. Interviews and focus groups with 63 participants (program, managers, swim teachers and program participants), were conducted, guided by the Health Belief Model and Theory of Planned Behaviour. Data was thematically analysed using a deductive approach.

Four overlapping key themes with 14 sub-themes were identified: (1) Motivations for establishing programs for migrant adults, (2) Perceived barriers to participation, (3) Addressing cultural and socio-economic determinants of health and (4) Factors and challenges to program success. Findings revealed that drowning among migrant communities was the catalyst for establishing programs, and that staff consciously design these swim programs to make programs accessible and relevant to migrants. This includes offering single-gender programs, providing culturally appropriate swimwear, having bilingual teachers, low or no cost participation fees and ensuring training pathways to employment in the aquatic industry.

Swimming and water safety programs that acknowledge and respond to migrants’ needs and characteristics offer multiple benefits beyond drowning prevention, including improved physical, social and mental health, and positive settlement experiences. These programs highlight the importance of acquiring water safety awareness, knowledge and skills, and how this can influence generational attitudes and behaviour towards drowning risk and water engagement. Drowning is a complex public health issue, with collaboration among multisectoral stakeholders required to create an impact and reduce inequities, especially for vulnerable populations such as migrant adults.

Item ID:	86615
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1471-2458
Copyright Information:	© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
Date Deposited:	11 Aug 2025 22:36
FoR Codes:	42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4206 Public health > 420604 Injury prevention @ 50% 42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4206 Public health > 420603 Health promotion @ 25% 42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4206 Public health > 420606 Social determinants of health @ 25%
SEO Codes:	20 HEALTH > 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health) > 200408 Injury prevention and control @ 25% 20 HEALTH > 2005 Specific population health (excl. Indigenous health) > 200505 Migrant health @ 25% 20 HEALTH > 2002 Evaluation of health and support services > 200201 Determinants of health @ 50%
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