Understanding a population: A methodology for a population-based coastal safety survey

Abstract

Drowning is a global public health problem, but accurately estimating drowning risk remains a challenge. Coastal drowning comprises a significant proportion of the drowning burden in Australia and is influenced by a range of behavioural factors (e.g. risk perception, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours) that are poorly understood. These factors, along with those that impact exposure (e.g. coastal visitation and activity participation) all impact on drowning risk. While excellent mortality and morbidity data exists in Australia, a lack of coastal participation data presents challenges to identifying high-risk groups or activities and prioritising prevention efforts. This methods paper describes the development and evolution of an ongoing, annual, nationally representative online survey as an effective tool used to capture valuable data about the Australian population’s relationship with the coast. This paper explores how the survey is structured (12–14 sections spanning multiple topics and themes), the different question types used (including open text, 4-digit responses and categorical questions), the sample size (1400–1600 respondents), sampling strategy (using demographic quota sampling which can then be post-weighted to the population if required) and how topics and themes have changed over time to enhance the quality of data collected (i.e., wording changes to enhance participant comprehension or data usability and changing issue-specific ‘feature’ topics of interest such as campaign evaluation). How the survey is implemented online is described, both practically through to third-party recruitment processes and ethically to maximise anonymity of respondents and ensure data quality. Interim analyses indicate the impact of considering exposure when calculating fatal drowning rates, especially by activity (e.g., crude boating drowning rate 0.12 per 100,000 population vs 0.95 per 100,000 exposed population [relative risk = 8.01; 95% confidence interval: 4.55–14.10]). This study highlights lessons learned in the process of conducting a nationally representative coastal participation survey as well as the strengths and limitations of adopting this approach. Data collected will provide more detailed information on the skills, behaviours, knowledge and attitudes of coastal activity participants. Analyses of this unique dataset will inform research that will underpin development and evaluation of coastal drowning prevention initiatives prioritising those most at risk. It is hoped that the methods detailed within this study may be useful for other countries to develop similar approaches to understanding their own population.

Characteristics and beach safety knowledge of beachgoers on unpatrolled surf beaches in Australia

“…The images shown in Photos 4 and 6 in Fig. 6 have also been used to assess rip current identification of the Australian public in an ongoing national representative online survey by Surf Life Saving Australia (Lawes et al, 2021). According to unpublished SLSA data (Jasmin Lawes, personal communication, 27 January 2022), 56 % and 35 % of surveyed Australians between 2016 and 2020 correctly identified the rip current in Photos 4 and 6 respectively (Fig.…”

Identifying risk factors and implications for beach drowning prevention amongst an Australian multicultural community

“…In order to place potential beach drowning risk factors of the Southern Asian community in more context, a secondary aim of this study was to compare some of the findings from the Southern Asian community with similar results from the overall Australian population. This is possible because Surf Life Saving Australia conducts a national representative online survey each year to capture data about the Australian population’s relationship with the coast [ 56 ]. Based on this survey, the average Australian visits the coast 3.3 times a month, 56% always choose to swim between the flags when swimming or wading, 9% indicated they can’t float or swim, and 78% said that rip currents were the most dangerous coastal hazard [ 5 ].…”

Public rescue tube deployment in Hawaii: protective association with rescuer drownings

“…As a key component in general drowning prevention, the use of varied flotation devices generally enhances survivability. Of note, Australian surfers carry out a significant number of rescues with the assistance of surf boards and other surf craft, which highlights the positive impact of having flotation when conducting a rescue 6 13 31 32…”