title: The attitude-practice gap revisited: risk reduction beliefs and behaviors among owners of residential swimming pools.
abstract: Complete pool fencing and effective bystander resuscitation are both believed to reduce the risk of childhood drowning. The relationship between support for, and prevalence of, a complete pool barrier and current cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification was investigated among an equal probability sample of 795 owners of residential swimming pools in Sacramento County, California. Only 50% (95% confidence interval [CI] 44%, 56%) of respondents who favored a cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification requirement for pool owners represented a household with any members so certified. Only 35% (95% CI 26%, 44%) of respondents who endorsed a complete barrier requirement for all pools had a fence surrounding their own pool. Support for a cardiopulmonary resuscitation requirement was associated with a modestly higher prevalence of current cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification (46% vs 33%, difference = 13%, 95% CI for difference 2%, 24%). Endorsement of a pool barrier requirement was associated with a substantially higher prevalence of complete pool fencing (35% vs 7%, difference = 28%, 95% CI for difference 19%, 37%). The proportion of the pool-owning population endorsing these risk reduction behaviors is much larger than the proportion actually adopting them. The results suggest that an effective pool drowning-prevention program will rely primarily on legislative approaches, with health education serving as a useful adjunct.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of California, Davis.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wintemute
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D002140:California; D004332:Drowning / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000193:education*; D012449:Safety; D013551:Swimming Pools