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The issue: Fatal and non-fatal drowning is an issue of global public health concern. It is also underserved.

 

Project summary: The DEEP team conducts applied research and evaluation to support the reduction in, and impact of, fatal and non-fatal drowning in Western Australia and beyond. Over the past decade, we have conducted our work collaboratively with the Royal Life Saving Society of Western Australia (RLSSWA).

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Our research and evaluation supports the work of three drowning prevention programs:

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• Keep Watch Program (0 - 4 year olds);

• Adult Water Safety Program (45 years and older);

• Youth Water Safety Program (15 - 24 year olds).

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Additionally, we conduct a range of knowledge translation activities and discrete research projects e.g. migrant health, use of theory in drowning prevention, alcohol advertising in and around waterways, and the role of ambassadors.

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Relevance for practice/policy: The working relationship with RLSSWA has been in place since 2012. The purpose of our mixed-method realist evaluation is to determine if programs have an impact on proximal, intermediate and distal outcomes project outcomes specifically knowledge, awareness, attitudes, intention and behaviour change of the target groups through the specific campaign strategies. Since that time a number of technical reports, conference presentations, evidence summaries, research projects and peer-reviewed journal articles have been produced to inform program development of the RLSSWA programs and the research agenda for drowning prevention and water safety more broadly.

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Who's involved: Associate Professor Justine Leavy, Dr Gemma Crawford, Dr Renee Carey, Malena Della Bona, Nicola D'Orazio, Brooklyn Royce.

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Project funding: Royal Life Saving Society of Western Australia.

 

Project website: https://www.deepwa.org/

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Twitter: @DEEP_curtin

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Linked projects:  WADER-N (www.wader-n.org)

WAVE:  Alcohol Advertising and Aquatic Environments: Building Evidence for Change
(https://www.deepwa.org/alcohol-advertising-around-water)

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Project outputs:

Papers

• ​Leavy, J. E., Gray, C., Della Bona, M., D’Orazio, N., & Crawford, G. (2023). A review of interventions for drowning prevention among adults. Journal of Community Health, 1-18. DOI: 10.1007/s10900-023-01189-6

• Leavy, J. E., Della Bona, M., Abercromby, M., & Crawford, G. (2022). Drinking and swimming around waterways: the role of alcohol, sensation-seeking, peer influence and risk in young people. PLoS one, 17(11), e0276558. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276558

• Leavy, J.E., Crawford G., Saunders, C., Della Bona, M. & Jancey, J. Drowning. In The International Encyclopedia of Public Health, 3rd edition. Oxford: Academic Press. (in press)

• Leavy J. E., Crawford G. & Abercromby M. IUHPE Handbook Case Study. (2022). From Classroom to Health Promotion Practitioner in Chapter: The Health Promotion Curriculum: Evolving and embedding competencies in contemporary courses.

• Abercromby M., Crawford, G., Nimmo, L., & Leavy J. E. (2021). I never had a thought about drowning. Exploring water safety attitudes and practices among older adults in Western Australia: a qualitative study. Health Promotion Journal of Australia Early online. DOI: 10.1002/hpja.522.

• Szpilman, D., Aguilar, J. P., Queiroga, A. C., Barcala-Furelos, R., Baker, S., Dunne, C., ... & Leavy, J. E., Venema, A. M. (2021). Drowning and aquatic injuries dictionary. Resuscitation Plus, 5, 100072. DOI:10.1016/j.resplu.2020.100072. International Collaboration with IDRA.

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Media

• Leavy, J. E. (2022, 25 July). Enrol children in swimming lessons to make up time lost during pandemic: experts. Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times, WA Today. www.watoday.com.au/national/enrol-children-in-swimming-lessons-before-summer-to-makeup-time-lost-during-pandemic-experts-say-20220724-p5b42n

• Leavy, J. E. (2022, November 9). Spoke to ABC Goldfields, Mid-west and Great Southern radio and 6PRweekend radio on recently released research into young people and the role of alcohol, sensation-seeking, peer influence and risk in young people around waterways.

• Leavy J. E., Crawford, G, Newnham, E and Leaversuch, F. (2021). Addressing the links between drowning, health equity and the climate crisis. Croakey. https://www.croakey.org/addressing-the-links-between-drowning-health-equity-and-the-climate-crisis

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Technical Reports

• Keep Watch Program: Impact Evaluation Report, (2023) CERIPH

• Youth Water Safety Program: Evaluation Report, (2023) CERIPH

• Adult Water Safety Program: Impact Evaluation Report, (2023) CERIPH

• Keep Watch Ambassador Program: Evaluation Report, (2022) CERIPH

• Keep Watch Program: Impact Evaluation Report, (2022) CERIPH

• Youth Water Safety Program: Evaluation Report, (2022) CERIPH

• Adult Water Safety Program: Evaluation Report, (2021) CERIPH

• Youth Water Safety Program: Evaluation Report, (2021) CERIPH

• Keep Watch Program: Impact Evaluation Report, (2021) CERIPH

• Adult Water Safety Program: Formative Evaluation Report, (2020) CERIPH

• Youth Water Safety Program: Impact Evaluation Report, (2020) CERIPH

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Awards

• Injury Matters, March 2021 ‘Outstanding Contribution to Practice or Policy for Injury Prevention in Western Australia’