RESEARCH:

Defining ‘swim and survive’ in the context of New Zealand drowning prevention strategies: A discussion paper 

UNIVERSITY OR ORGANISATION: AUniversity of Auckland

A review of swim and survive programmes (Isaac, 2012), commissioned by the Accident Compensation Corporation, in conjunction with the Drowning Prevention Council and Sport New Zealand, made recommendations to improve the coordination of ‘swim and survive’ programmes. The reviewers noted some confusion among stakeholders responsible for delivering water safety education about the varied terminology used to define swimming survival skills and knowledge in the context of drowning prevention. It is the purpose of this paper to provide a synopsis of current research findings and expert opinion in the international literature and make recommendations regarding the adoption of mutually agreeable terminology that eliminates the “confusion around the language used by different organisations and providers in the water safety education space.

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