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Lessons learned from co-designing a high school beach safety education program with lifeguards and students
William Koon1,2, Robert W Brander1,2, Dennis Alonzo1,3
1UNSW Beach Safety Research Group, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Summary
Developing effective beach safety education programs requires involving students in the design process. Co-design ensures programs meet the needs of young people, promoting safer beach behaviors and preventing drowning.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatric Safety
- Community Education
Background:
- School-based beach safety education programs are prevalent but lack comprehensive guidance for effective design and development.
- Limited understanding exists regarding the optimal methods for creating impactful beach safety initiatives tailored to young audiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To inform the development of a school-based beach safety education program through a co-design process involving researchers, lifeguards, and students.
- To gather insights into pre-teens' and teenagers' beach experiences, safety knowledge, and attitudes to refine educational content and delivery.
Main Methods:
- A co-design approach was employed, integrating expert input from researchers and ocean lifeguards with feedback from students (aged 11-13) through focus groups.
- Structured surveys and facilitated workshops were conducted with experts, while students participated in in-depth focus group sessions.
Main Results:
- Student focus groups revealed key aspects of their beach experiences, influencing program content and safety message framing, emphasizing peer influence and emerging independence.
- Students demonstrated awareness of beach hazards but exhibited varied safety attitudes and self-reported practices, indicating a need for behavior-focused interventions.
- The co-design process highlighted the importance of motivating safe decision-making over solely raising awareness.
Conclusions:
- Co-design offers a novel and inclusive model for developing effective beach safety education programs.
- Structured consultation with the target audience is crucial for creating relevant and useful beach safety and drowning prevention programs.
- Future beach safety initiatives should prioritize co-design principles to ensure programs meet the needs and preferences of young people.
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