BARRIERS TO LIFE JACKET USE AMONG ADULT RECREATIONAL BOATERS

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Inj Prev
• Personal Author:
  Quistberg, D. Alex ; Quan, Linda ; Ebel, Beth E. ; Bennett, Elizabeth E. ; Mueller, Beth A.
• Description:
  Objective
  
  To identify barriers to life jacket use.
  
  Design
  
  Cross-sectional survey.
  
  Setting
  
  Nine public boat ramps in western Washington State, USA, August-November, 2008.
  
  Participants
  
  675 adult boaters (>18 years) on motor boats <26 feet long.
  
  Main outcome
  
  Low or no life jacket use (0–50% of time) versus high life jacket use (51–100% of time).
  
  Results
  
  Low/no life jacket use (0%–50% of time) was associated with longer boat length (per foot, risk ratio [RR] 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02–1.05), alcohol use (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.01–1.20), perception of life jackets as “uncomfortable” (RR 1.29, 95%CI 1.09–1.52), perceived greater level of swimming ability (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03–1.53 for “expert swimmer”), and possibly with lack of confidence that a life jacket may save one from drowning (RR 1.13, 95%CI 0.96–1.32). Low life jacket use was less likely when a child was onboard (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79–0.99), or if the respondent had taken a boating safety class (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.87–1.01).
  
  Conclusions
  
  Life jacket use may increase with more comfortable devices, such as inflatable life jackets, and with increased awareness of their efficacy in preventing drowning. Boater education classes may be associated with increased life jacket use among adults.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adult Aged Alcohol Drinking Article Boats/*Recreation Cross-Sectional Studies Drowning Female Health Behavior Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Humans Male Middle Aged Personal Flotation Devices Protective Clothing Recreation Regression Analysis Risk Assessment Risk Factors Ships Swimming/*Education Washington

  More +
• Source:
  Inj Prev. 20(4):244-250.
• Pubmed ID:
  24686261
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4310692
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  3R49CE00197/CE/NCIPC CDC HHS/United States ; 5T32HD057822/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; T32 HD057822/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States
• Volume:
  20
• Issue:
  4
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:07dd2050ab1fc4101ec216f0a453c3ce7bfe0bea76cdca9d4eb778db01f4b7e7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/30270/cdc_30270_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 273.89 KB ]