Integrative and scientific educational approach to child drowning. Innovation from prevention to intervention
- Autores: Lucía Peixoto Pino
- Directores de la Tesis: Javier Rico Díaz (dir. tes.), Antonio Rodríguez Núñez (dir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universidade de Santiago de Compostela ( España ) en 2025
- Idioma: inglés
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: José Palacios Aguilar (presid.), José Eugenio Rodríguez Fernández (secret.), Silvia Aranda García (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Investigación Clínica en Medicina por la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Tesis en acceso abierto en: MINERVA
- Resumen
INTRODUCTION This doctoral thesis comprises a collection of researchs focused on preventing child drowning through an innovative educational approach. Child drowning is a global public health issue, and in this sense the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the critical importance of prevention from an early age. One of the knowledge gaps related to effective strategies to reduce drowning worldwide is the creation and dissemination of feasible educational contents and materials, that could be of universal access, especially in low-resource communities. Trying to fill these gaps, the studies conducted in this Doctoral Thesis range from reviewing Spanish educational legislation to designing and implementing interdisciplinary educational programs for drowning prevention, rescue, and resuscitation, integrating different areas of the school curriculum. These programs have been created with considering pedagogical criteria in order to promote meaningful interactive learning, involving students and families in the educational process. Specifically, four interventions are proposed: two focused on prevention using a safe water activities children's song and a puppet show, one on water rescue, based on throwing materials to provide flotation to a person at risk of drowning, and the last one focused on teaching basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with innovative do-it-yourself low-cost manikins (LoCoMan).
HYPOTHESES AND OBJECTIVES The main hypothesis challenges the feasibility and accessibility of low-cost educational materials and programs for drowning prevention and their knowledge generation in various elements related to aquatic incidents. Therefore, the main objective was scientificaly evaluate selected educational interventions effects on the acquisition of concepts and skills for prevention, rescue, and resuscitation in drowing events. These hypothesis and objectives have been broken down into specific hypotheses and objectives related to each of the five studies presented in this research compendium.
METHODOLOGY The methodology of the thesis is primarily quantitative and descriptive, using pre- and post-intervention tests, as well as cross-group studies. The studies include both quasi-experimental and randomized designs, focusing on evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed educational interventions.
RESULTS The results of the thesis indicate that innovative educational proposals are effective in improving knowledge, attitudes and skills about drowning prevention. The studies show that children can learn fundamental preventive strategies through creative and innovative educational methods, such as specifically composed/created songs and puppet shows. Additionally, the research demonstrates that do-it-yourself low-cost materials, such as paperboards, plastic tubes and recycled plastic bottles for aquatic rescues, are viable and effective for learning effective rescues and developing the needed motor skills. Such activities and trainings can be embebed in the schools Physical Education schedules. An important finding is that teaching basic CPR with the help of low-cost materials does not compromise the quality of learning compared to using conventional commercial manikins. This suggests that it is possible to implement CPR training programs in resource-limited contexts.
DISCUSSION The discussion of the thesis focuses on the relevance and applicability of specific to drowning educational programs in real risk situations and the need for scientific assessment and long-term follow-up to evaluate their effectiveness. It highlights the importance of considering and determining the optimal age for initiation in each educational content and the necessary frequency for retraining rescue skills. Additionally, it addresses the relevance of providing accessible and low-cost and available educational resources in special for disadvantaged communities along the world. Practical education in drowning prevention and bystander initial rescue should be an integral part of the educational curriculum from the early school stages, promoting a long-lasting culture of aquatic safety from a young age.
CONCLUSIONS School and community education in drowning prevention and activation of the chain-of-survival must be addressed from a global, pedagogical, multidisciplinary, innovative, inclusive, and accessible approach. The proposals developed in this thesis not only improved the knowledge and skills of participating schoolchildren and families but also offer practical and accessible solutions for wide implementation in low-resource contexts, covering the three essential areas: Prevention, Rescue, and initial Resuscitation. Innovative educational proposals, such as the use of children's songs and puppet shows, proved effective in improving children's knowledge of beach signage and promoting safer behavior practices. Additionally, they contributed to the development of initial rescue and basic resuscitation skills, as they can be trained with do-it-yourself low-cost materials, such as recycled plastic bottles for rescue throws and homemade paperboards/plastic tubes manikins for basic CPR.
