Are life vests worn? A multiregional observational study of personal flotation device use in small boats

OBJECTIVE

Although life vest use is thought to prevent drowning, their use by boaters has not been described. This study sought to determine the use of personal flotation devices (PFDs) in small boats.

METHODS

Boaters were observed between April and June 1995 in Washington and Oregon and classified by their age, gender, PFD use, and boat type.

RESULTS

Among 4181 boaters, 25% wore a PFD. Use was highest in < 5 year olds (91%) and lowest in those over 14 years (13%). Those in kayaks were most likely (78%) and those in motor boats (19%) were least likely to wear a PFD. Females were more likely to wear a PFD than males (relative prevalence 1.5, 95% confidence interval 1.3 to 1.6). When a child less than 15 years was in a boat with an adult, PFD use was 65% if no adult wore a PFD and 95% if at least one accompanying adult wore a PFD (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Generally, PFD use by boaters was low in the Northwestern US. Efforts to increase PFD use should target adolescents, adults and specific boating populations, especially those in motor boats.

Personal flotation device usage: do educational efforts have an impact?

Boating is a popular form of recreation in the United States. Unfortunately, many people drown due to boating-related accidents each year. Since many such drowning deaths are preventable through the use of personal flotation devices (PFDs), an observational study was conducted to quantify and evaluate the number and demographics of the individuals who choose to wear life jackets in King County, Washington. Further efforts were then directed toward evaluating the effectiveness of educational campaigns focused on increasing PFD usage and general boating safety. Highly significant increases were found in the use of life preservers overall and within various subgroups of the population. Total PFD use increased from 19.8% in 1992 to 31.3% in 1994. Future studies are needed to determine the reproducibility of this data and the feasibility of incorporating similar educational efforts into other injury prevention programs nationwide.