Socio-Structural Factors as Predictors of Parents' Intentions to Enrol Their Children in Swimming Lessons

Swimming lessons are an effective drowning prevention strategy, yet uptake remains socially patterned. Socio-structural factors such as parent age, sex and family income may shape parents' decisions to enrol their children in swimming lessons. According to the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), people's beliefs, reflected in their attitudes, subjective norms and perceived control, drive health-related intentions. Socio-structural characteristics may therefore influence parents' intentions indirectly by shaping these underlying beliefs. This study examined an untested pathway, assessing whether socio-structural factors shape parents' beliefs and, in turn, their intentions to enrol children in swimming lessons.

Parents (N = 323) of primary school-aged children without prior formal lessons completed an online survey. Latent variable structural equation modelling in R (Lavaan) tested direct and indirect relationships between socio-structural factors, TPB constructs and intention.

The model demonstrated good fit. Parent age predicted attitudes, subjective norms and perceived control. Sex directly predicted intention, while income predicted perceived control. All three TPB constructs significantly predicted intention, mediating the effects of age and income. The model explained 70% of variance in intention.

Parents' intention to enrol their children in swimming lessons is shaped indirectly by socio-structural characteristics through belief-based TPB constructs. This highlights the importance of integrating structural determinants into social cognition models to better understand inequities in preventive health behaviours. SO WHAT?: Strengthening positive attitudes, supportive social norms and parental confidence, while reducing financial and structural barriers to participation, may improve equitable access to swimming lessons and contribute to drowning prevention.