Peer-reviewed article
Socio-Structural Factors as Predictors of Parents' Intentions to Enrol Their Children in Swimming Lessons.
Hamilton K, Peden AE, Smith SR, Keech JJ, Phipps DJ et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined why some parents enrol their children in swimming lessons while others do not, using a theory-based approach. The researchers surveyed 323 parents of primary school children and found that factors like parent age, sex and family income influence parents' beliefs about swimming lessons, which in turn affect their decisions to enrol children. The study suggests that addressing financial barriers, building confidence and creating supportive social environments could improve access to swimming lessons as a drowning prevention strategy.
Key points
- Parent age predicted attitudes, subjective norms and perceived control regarding swimming lessons
- Parent sex directly predicted intention to enrol, while income predicted perceived control
- All three belief-based constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control) significantly predicted parents' intentions
- The model explained 70% of the variance in parents' intentions to enrol children in swimming lessons
- Socio-structural inequalities operate indirectly through parents' underlying beliefs to shape health behaviour decisions
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional and based on parent self-report from an online survey, so it cannot establish causation or account for social desirability bias. The sample composition and country are not specified in the excerpt, limiting generalisability of findings.
Abstract
Issue addressed 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. Methods 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. Results 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. Conclusions 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.