Citation

Orhan I. International journal of applied exercise physiology 2021; 9(6): 280-286.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

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Abstract

Swimming lessons are received by few students as a course in the educational curriculum in Turkey. However, aquatic environment activities are carried out as a recreation activity by many individuals of all ages, which cause water safety problems and drowning. Water environment activities require individuals to receive proper water safety education. In this research, to highlight the importance of swimming and water safety education, picnic activity was selected as to reveal drownings in water. The water environment creates many opportunities for people Having a picnic near the water environment is one of these facilities. The aim of the study was to investigate drowning cases that took place during a picnic in Turkey. The cases of drowning in water during the recreational picnic activity in Turkey between the years 2011 and 2016 were examined in terms of distribution by years, months and provinces, some demographic features of drowned individuals, patterns of drowning, and the water environment in which they occurred. The data obtained were evaluated as frequency and percentage in SPSS 23 packaged software. As a result of the study, it was determined that a total of 236 people including 200 males (84.7%) and 36 females (15.3%) lost their lives by drowning during the recreational picnic activity in Turkey between the years 2011 and 2016. Drowned people are mostly under 20 years of age. The highest number of cases of drowning in water occurred in summer months. Specifically, 132 people drowned while swimming (55.9%), 43 people drowned as a result of falling into water (18.2%), and 26 people drowned while trying to rescue people (11%). Providing swimming, water safety, lifesaving in the water and first aid education in educational institutions is suggested to contribute to decrease drowning rates to a significant extent. 1. Introduction The water environment creates many opportunities that people can use for different reasons such as sports and recreational activities. These activities include recreational water sports, water gymnastics, water fitness, water exercises, and cheerful activities such as picnic on the waterfront, swimming, fishing.. In this respect, the water environment provides many opportunities for individuals. One of the risks that individuals face when performing these activities is drowning. Many individuals in the community are involved in the water environment activities. These activities may differ depending on rural or urban life, but they are all water environment activities. Rural water environment activities include swimming in streams, dam lakes, irrigation ponds, canals, river, lake and sea and several other recreational activities like picnic near those areas.. . In the urban life, swimming pools, park pools, canals, lake and sea areas constitute water environment activity areas. This is an important condition that pointing the need for individuals of all ages to receive swimming and water safety education. When education programs and curricula in Turkey are examined, there is no specific course related to water sports and swimming in the primary school curriculum (1). However, such lessons are included in the programs of private schools. When secondary education programs are examined, although water sports and swimming are mentioned in physical education curriculum as options, they are not preferred by many teachers/educators due to the lack of a swimming pool (2). In Turkey, swimming lessons are received by few individuals who can afford and have facilities near. However, water environment activities are carried out as a recreation activity by many individuals of all ages regardless of enough educational background on swimming which cause many water safety problems and drownings. Thus, water environment activities require individuals to receive water safety education.

Language: en