Barriers to life jacket use among adult recreational boaters

• Published in: Injury prevention Vol. 20; no. 4; pp. 244 - 250
• Main Authors: Quistberg, D Alex, Quan, Linda, Ebel, Beth E, Bennett, Elizabeth E, Mueller, Beth A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group 01.08.2014; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Alcohol Drinking; Biological and medical sciences; Boating; Boats; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drowning; Drowning - prevention & control; Drownings; Fatalities; Female; Health Behavior; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Polls & surveys; Prevention and actions; Protective Clothing - utilization; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Recreation; Regression Analysis; Risk Factors; Ships - statistics & numerical data; Swimming; Washington; Washington; United States > US; INE, USA, Washington; Human; Adult; Barrier; Accessibility; Use; Care
• ISSN: 1353-8047; 1475-5785; 1475-5785
• DOI: 10.1136/injuryprev-2013-040973

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% CI 1.02 to 1.05), alcohol use (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.20), perception of life jackets as ‘uncomfortable’ (RR 1.29, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.52), perceived greater level of swimming ability (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03 to 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 to 1.32). Low life jacket use was less likely when an inflatable life jacket was the primary life jacket used by a subject (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.94), a child was onboard (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.99) or if the respondent had taken a boating safety class (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.87 to 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.