Teaching Young Children Swim Survival Skills

This study is designed to evaluate whether commercially-available swim self-rescue schools are effective to teach children ages 12-23 months to stay safely alive floating in the water (or grasping the pool's edge) without adult intervention. The investigators will measure children's water self-rescue skills at baseline and then they will engage in commercially-available training over the course of several weeks. The investigators will then measure their skills again. Assessments will be conducted using a standardized protocol with a certified lifeguard present. Parents will also complete a short survey concerning child and family demographics and child and family swim and lifeguard training experience.

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Key information

Conditions

Drowning Death Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Wounds and Injuries

Age range

12 month–23 month

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

UAB Youth Safety Lab, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama, 35294, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

child ages 12-23 months
enrolled in self-rescue course at participating swim facility

Exclusion criteria

medical conditions counter-indicating training in water
previous experience in self-rescue swim courses

Treatment and study plan

self-rescue training

Behavioral

children will receive training for self-rescue if they are alone in water

Primary outcomes

Children's Self-rescue Ability

Time frame: at completion of training intervention program, an anticipated average of 4 weeks

Assessment of whether children demonstrates ability to engage independently and safely in water, without adult assistance. This was measured through a standardized behavioral observation of children's behavior in a swimming pool. It was scored in a binary fashion as "yes" or "no", with each child in the study scored either "yes" or "no".

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2024
Primary completion: 2024
Study completion: 2024
First posted: Aug 4, 2023
Registry last updated: Feb 28, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed