Year: 2013
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Culturally and linguistically diverse populations are generally overrepresented in the drowning statistics of high income countries.This paper reports on Asian immigrants' aquatic recreation and water safety in the aquatically-oriented Auckland region.A survey of new settlers (n = 570) was conducted at seven cultural festivities using a self-complete questionnaire that sought information on immigrants' current and previous aquatic recreation and their understanding of water safety.Almost half (43%) had never participated in aquatic recreation prior to coming to New Zealand, and most (72%) now did more aquatic recreation.Most participants (73%) estimated that they could swim less than 50m, one half (47%) had never been taught to swim and had never received water safety education (63%) or CPR training (65%).Given the continuing influx of new settlers in New Zealand, water safety programs that are sensitive to the needs of diverse peoples should be persisted with and focus on identified high-risk activities.The Asia-Pacific region in recent years has been one of the more dynamic regions for the movement of peoples and evidence of this in contemporary New Zealand society abounds.The transformative power of this trend is one that offers increased opportunities for economic growth and social and cultural innovation (Koser & Laczko, 2010).It also has the potential to exacerbate existing problems and generate new challenges within society.This paper focuses on one such challenge-that of preventing the incidence of drowning through water safety education among Asian immigrants in an aquatically-oriented island nation.From 2007 to 2011, 40 Asian New Zealanders died of drowning, half (50%) of these drowning fatalities were associated with recreational activity, and 22 (56%) of those occurred in the Auckland region (Water Safety New Zealand, 2012).Changing demographics can partially explain these statistics.In the past decade, New Zealand, in general, and Auckland, in particular, have become very culturally and linguistically diverse.In 2006, 23% of people living in New Zealand were born overseas, compared with 17% in 1996 (Statistics New Zealand, 2010).Furthermore, more than one-third (37%) of residents in the Auckland Region at the time of the 2006 Census were born overseas.Comparisons of census data from 2001 to 2006 indicate rapid ethnic change.The number of residents having immigrated from China increased by 41%, from India by 68%, from Korea by 62%, and from The Philippines by 53% (Statistics New Zealand, 2010). 1 Moran and Wilcox: Water Safety Practices and Perceptions fo "New" New Zealanders
Authors: Kevin Moran, Stacey Wilcox
Institution: University of Auckland
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W250942008