Willcox-Pidgeon, Stacey, Devine, Susan G., and Franklin, Richard C. (2025) Adult migrants urgent need for drowning prevention in Australia: water safety perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours. Health Promotion International, 40 (4). daaf109.

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Abstract

Drowning is a global public health issue with over 300 000 people fatally drowning annually. Inequities exist, with 90% of drowning concentrated in low- and middle-income countries. Populations more vulnerable to drowning across all countries and contexts include children, males, migrants, and First Nations peoples. In Australia, migrants account for 34% of drowning fatalities, therefore are a priority population for reducing drowning. This study aimed to explore the underlying factors influencing the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards water safety and drowning risk among adult migrants in Australia. A qualitative exploratory study was undertaken guided by the theory of planned behaviour. Fifty-seven adults residing across Australia participated in a semi-structured interview (n = 15) or a focus group (n = 42). Data were coded and thematically analysed using a deductive approach, guided by Braun and Clarke's framework. Participants originated from 19 different countries, 54% were female. Residential time in Australia ranged from 18 months to 25+ years. Four key thematic areas were identified: ‘Water Safety experiences; Attitudes, beliefs and behaviour including cultural norms; Motivations and barriers to swimming; and Benefits of learning to swim’. This study highlighted that migrant's awareness, attitudes, and behaviour towards water safety were informed by factors linked to cultural norms and life experiences. Migrant adults perceived swimming as essential for inclusion in the Australian community. Identified risks included limited exposure to the water and a lack of safety knowledge and skills prior to migrating. These findings offer new insights to inform contemporary drowning prevention strategies that respond to changing population demographics, in Australia and globally.

Item ID:	86828
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1460-2245
Copyright Information:	© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs licence (https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial reproduction and distribution of the work, in any medium, provided the original work is not altered or transformed in any way, and that the work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com
Funders:	Royal Life Saving Society - Australia
Date Deposited:	19 Aug 2025 23:10
FoR Codes:	42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4206 Public health > 420604 Injury prevention @ 40% 42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4206 Public health > 420603 Health promotion @ 40% 42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4206 Public health > 420606 Social determinants of health @ 20%
SEO Codes:	20 HEALTH > 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health) > 200408 Injury prevention and control @ 40% 20 HEALTH > 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health) > 200401 Behaviour and health @ 20% 20 HEALTH > 2005 Specific population health (excl. Indigenous health) > 200505 Migrant health @ 40%
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