Development and Validity of the Fear of Water Assessment Questionnaire

Face and Content Validity of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Water Competence in Young Children

An international group of experts have developed a pictorial tool to measure perceived water competence for children aged from 5 to 8 years old: the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Water Competence (PSPWC). The aim of the present study was to verify the validity of this tool. In the first part of the study, 120 children were interviewed to investigate face validity of the PSPWC to ensure that all pictorial items were understandable. In the second part of the study, 13 scientific and/or pedagogical international experts were invited to assess the tool's content validity via an online survey. Face validity results revealed that children were able to understand and sequence correctly the aquatic situations in 92% of the cases. The average Content Validity Index (CVI) of the PSPWC ranged from 0.88 to 0.95, showing acceptable content validity. Feedback from experts and children resulted in a major improvement of the "exit water" situation and minor improvements concerning some other items. Experts confirmed that the PSPWC was globally appropriate for different countries and cultures, except for the situation "water entry by slide" which was not considered usual practice in some countries. The PSPWC opens up to new fields of research; useful both for the prevention of drowning and for the support of children's aquatic education.

The Effect of Using Goggles and Snorkel for Aquatic Skills Acquisition in Youth Learn-to-Swim Programs

Our purpose in this study was to examine the effects of using goggles and snorkel during a learn-to-swim program on the aquatic skills of young non-swimmers with fear of water. 40 children volunteered to participate in the study and were randomly divided into two groups: one that used goggles and snorkel (GS) and one that did not (NGS). After four weeks (five sessions per week) of learn-to-swim interventions, both groups improved aquatic skills, but improvements in water entry, back gliding, and prone swimming were greater for the GS than for the NGS group. In contrast, the intervention effect on a blowing bubbles skill was smaller for the GS than for the NGS group. Thus, the use of goggles appears to be more beneficial in a learn to swim program for young swimmers with a fear of water than not using goggles for all lessons other than blowing bubbles.

Individual Determinants as the Causes of Failure in Learning to Swim with the Example of 10-Year-Old Children

Background: The purpose of the present study was to identify which, and to what extent, selected individual determinants of 10-year-old children may limit the final achievement in learning to swim. In view of the above, the research hypothesis was formulated that some children, despite regular attendance at swimming classes, do not achieve the learning outcomes set in the curriculum. The reason for this may be unfavorable (compared to their peers) morphological and functional characteristics, coordination motor abilities, and problems with fear of water. Methods: The study was conducted on a group of 271 students from the third grade of elementary schools who could not swim when they entered the physical education classes at the swimming pool and then participated in at least 25 swimming lessons during the school year. After these classes, the students performed swimming tests, and their somatic and functional characteristics and coordination motor abilities were measured. Results: In 46.1% of the participants, the final achievement level was lower than assumed in the school curriculum. The biggest problem for teachers and students in the initial teaching and learning to swim was the high fear of water, especially among girls. Furthermore, children characterized by lower body height and body weight, a lower sum of three skinfolds, and lower BMI had problems with progress in swimming. Despite the differences, these values did not correlate significantly with the final achievement level in swimming, except for body height in boys. Slower progress in swimming was also associated with lower vital capacity, whereas no relationship was found between final achievement level in swimming and trunk flexibility or foot mobility. However, significant correlations occurred for coordination motor abilities, as in almost all tests the participants characterized by the achievement level below the objectives set out in the curriculum performed significantly worse than children in the group with the achievement level meeting the objectives. Conclusions: In many cases, children who begin learning to swim from scratch make significant progress, but for many of them, the achievement levels are lower than the requirements set out in the school curriculum. The biggest problem for teachers and students in the initial teaching and learning to swim was the high fear of water, especially among girls.

Community aquatic therapy for Parkinson's disease: an international qualitative study

PURPOSE

To explore the opinions of people living with Parkinson's disease about access to and participation in community aquatic therapy.

METHODS

Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with people living with Parkinson's disease in Ireland (n = 24) and Australia (n = 10). All discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed.

RESULTS

Four main themes were identified. Primarily, participants were optimistic about their reasons for choosing aquatic therapy and found it beneficial to their health and well-being. Optimal components of aquatic therapy identified were access to individually tailored aquatic programs, completed as a minimum once a week, at a moderate to high-intensity level, and guided by a credentialed instructor. Fear was a significant barrier for a small proportion of participants and was linked to water competence, past experiences, and fall risk associated with the aquatic environment. Participants identified a strong need for education and increased awareness about aquatic therapy benefits to promote greater engagement.

CONCLUSION

Aquatic therapy is a popular exercise choice for people with Parkinson's disease, especially in the early to middle disease stages. Considering the views of people living with Parkinson's disease can aid the design and implementation of interventions and future aquatic research internationally.Implications for RehabilitationAquatic therapy is emerging as an effective physiotherapy approach for managing motor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease.Little is known regarding community-based aquatic therapy programs from the perspectives of people living with Parkinson's disease internationally.People with Parkinson's disease may benefit from timely information about the unique benefits, prerequisites, and local aquatic therapy facilities to promote greater uptake of aquatic programs.Tailored aquatic therapy interventions delivered within a group setting by a credentialed healthcare professional may increase long-term adherence.