Literature Review
Table of Contents
Introduction
Background
Theoretical Framework
Analysis of Research Gaps
Findings
Conclusion
Key Takeaways:
- The literature review highlights how the lack of swimming lessons, a shortage of lifeguards, and historical racial disparities impact childhood drownings.
- The study found a strong correlation between the absence of swimming lessons and drownings, especially among kids who didn’t receive formal instruction. For ages 1-19, early childhood swim lessons reduced the risk by 88%. Common causes of drowning include entrapment, lack of supervision, and alcohol use by caregivers.
- Lifeguards are vital for preventing drownings, but shortages are linked to factors like insufficient swimming instruction, particularly for children. Learning how to swim not only enhances personal water safety but also serves as a pathway for individuals to potentially become lifeguards. Limited access to swimming lessons, worsened by racial and economic disparities, adds to the problem. Additionally, historical discrimination has made it harder for minority communities to access pools, reducing the number of potential lifeguards.
Introduction
The shortage of lifeguards in Hartford’s public pools is a very important issue that affects both public safety and the overall vitality of community spaces in the city. Public pools not only help the community cope with the heat waves during the increasingly hot summers, but also contribute to the ability of the population to swim.
Studies show, that poor minority children, specifically African-American and Hispanic/Latino, are at a significant disadvantage concerning swimming ability. (Irwin, Drayer, 2009), which is especially relative to Hartford, as 81.9% of the city’s population identifies either Black or Hispanic/Latino (U.S. Census Bureau).
In the recent years the lack of lifeguards in Hartford has exacerbated. Representatives of the Parks and Recreation Department of Hartford were talking about the potential closure of several pools for the summer season due to the failed attempts to staff them.
In light of these multifaceted implications, addressing the lifeguard shortage becomes not only a matter of public safety but a necessity for maintaining the vibrancy and functionality of community spaces. This study aims to delve into the root causes of this shortage, analyze its consequences, and propose viable solutions to ensure the sustained safety and accessibility of public pools in Hartford.
Background
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission (PRAC) is our community partner for the Recreation Access Project. PRAC is in charge of researching and recommending policies and practices pertaining to park management, public use, and recreational activities.
The Commissioners are essential in providing the Public Works – Parks & Recreation Division and the City Council with advice on services related to park maintenance and recreational activities. Their duties encompass carrying out research and providing suggestions regarding how parks are utilized by the broader public, park administration, park regulations, and leisure initiatives. They also actively participate in community, civic, and educational institutions to promote collaborative ties. Along with being the public’s principal point of contact for requests and comments regarding recreational programming, the Commissioners also operate as a source of education and information about parks and recreation for the general public.
Prior to addressing the lifeguard shortage in the city of Hartford, we needed to gain some understanding of the recruitment and training procedures that are currently in place, historical trends in the availability of lifeguards, and the particular challenges that local pools and recreational facilities face in keeping a sufficient number of lifeguards on duty. Throughout our endeavor, Brian Gallagher and Donna Swarr were great community collaborators! Their deep understanding of lifeguarding in the city of Hartford and their insights on how it has changed over time were really helpful. They provided vital details about the ideal lifeguard-to-pool ratio for efficient operation as well as an account of their previous approaches to finding lifeguards. This material made a substantial contribution to our investigation into potential solutions pertaining to Hartford’s lifeguard shortage.
Theoretical Framework
For our research, our goal was to know more about the causes of the ongoing lifeguard shortage, and how the United States and other countries around the world are doing to remedy this situation so that we can invent new ways to give swimmers the safety they need in the water while also giving lifeguards the compensation they deserve for their hard work. To accomplish this, we have based our research on academically proven findings such as journal articles, as well as archived publications such as newspaper reports. We also view articles written both in the current day and in the past so that we can compare the working conditions between then and now, and we have seen that most lifeguards, both American and international, are still facing those problems even today.
We also gather the statistics of Hartford and all its surrounding areas in the state of Connecticut to gather information regarding the number of pools currently in operation in that city, the number of lifeguards attending each pool, the salaries they make, the varied problems that challenge each facility, and the problems that are shared between pools. In addition, we investigate some of the pools’ histories to find any notable events that would potentially be useful in our research.
But most importantly, we call on the guidance of actual professional lifeguards in the greater Hartford area who have previously worked in public pools so that they can further enlighten us with accounts of their experiences during their career, as well as their personal advice on how to improve the conditions of pools for both lifeguards and visitors. Above all, their feedback is the most integral to our project. The combination of actual professionals’ insight and academic research steadily increases our knowledge of this ongoing crisis and what we can offer to help lifeguards receive the recognition they deserve and to make public pools safer for those who want to cool off during the summer heat.
Analysis of Research Gaps
Throughout this process, we identified potential research gaps that could affect our overall analysis. While investigating the sources of the lifeguard shortage in Hartford, one of the first gaps that quickly became apparent centered around location. While being the capital of Connecticut, Hartford was not featured prominently in the research that was used. This lack of research makes it slightly harder to identify Hartford on this scale.
Another location-based issue with the research was that there were not a lot of sources actually took place in the United States. One of the main sources featured Australia. Another source looked at Canada. The one that did take place in the United States explicitly mentioned that this research was very new and uncommon. This struggle identifies the issue with micro versus macro research. It seems that a lot of the research was too specific to certain areas. The research did not encompass the entire area of the United states or the countries in which it was featured. However, when the research did encompass a larger area, it seemed to leave out localized systematic issues that would potentially affect the research even more.
Finally, as mentioned, there seemed to be a lack of information regarding the lifeguard shortage problem. This lack of information was seen through countless hours of scouring for sources. There seemed to be a media acknowledgement of the issue. However, the media did not further this, and simply stated that there was an issue. Of the academic sources, they were very few and far between and often were outdated. This led to a heavier reliance on the interviews that were to be conducted to gain relevant information.
Findings
In the article, “Association Between Swimming Lessons and Drowning in Childhood: A Case-Control Study,” statistical data emphasizes the critical role of lifeguards and proper swim training in preventing childhood drownings (Brenner et al., 2009). The study reveals a compelling correlation between the lack of swimming instruction, inadequate lifeguard presence, and the occurrence of drownings among children aged 1-19. Notably, the findings for children aged 1-4 indicate an 88% reduction in the risk of drowning with early childhood swim lessons. This study’s relevance to our community became evident through discussions with our partners, as the lack of swimming instruction has impacted the youth in Hartford.
Drowning emerges as a leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths among U.S. children, with boys facing higher risks and disparities influenced by racial and socioeconomic factors (Denny et al., 2021). The article highlights the importance of understanding risk factors and implementing preventive measures, such as adult supervision, barriers, alarms, lifeguards, CPR, swimming lessons, life jackets, and boating safety. The Drowning Chain of Survival underscores the significance of prevention, early rescue, and minimizing prolonged submersion to reduce drowning incidents among children.
To comprehend the racial disparity in recreation access today, it’s crucial to consider historical context. “The Truth Behind African Americans and Swimming” sheds light on the discrimination in public pools during and after segregation, revealing that white-only pools received better funding and were more abundant, perpetuating inequality (Burzillo, 2014).
Examining employee turnover in the lifeguard workforce, the study by Butson et al. (2021) offers insights into why lifeguarding is often considered a temporary job. Lifeguard turnover is influenced by the perception of lifeguarding as a stepping stone rather than a career and an unappealing work environment. While the study focuses on issues within the lifeguard sector, it lacks insights into potential solutions or factors that could make the profession more appealing.
In addressing the lifeguard shortage, some cities have taken innovative approaches. San Antonio, TX, for instance, stopped requiring Red Cross certification for lifeguards, relying on lifeguard tests to assess candidates (Dewey, 2023). The city employed extensive recruitment strategies, including billboards, bus stop graphics, radio ads, and street banners, showcasing a proactive approach to overcoming the lifeguard shortage.
“The Power of Images” by Rios (2022) discusses the importance of diverse images in lifeguard recruitment advertising. By breaking away from traditional depictions, the article advocates for inclusive representation in marketing materials, aiming to attract a broader range of individuals to consider lifeguarding careers.
To combat the lifeguard shortage, diversifying the age pool of participants has been proposed as a solution (Gardiner, 2023). “These Old Guys? Short on Lifeguards, New York City Finds New Recruits” explores how baby boomers, with their skills and increased availability due to retirement, can contribute to addressing the shortage, presenting a potential recruitment strategy for Hartford.
As a proactive solution to the lifeguard and swimming instructor shortage, Porteous (2022) collaborated with the local School District to develop an Aquatic Leadership Program (ALP). The program includes a school-based curriculum allowing students to earn credits for aquatic leadership courses, presenting a model that could be considered for implementation in other regions.
Conclusion
Over the course of three months, our team has worked to learn and research the lifeguard shortage issue around the world and more specifically Hartford, researching scholarly articles, tracking down city officials and conducting interviews with lifeguards. Through our research and conversation came ideas of potential solutions and remedies to solve this recreational access problem in the community of Hartford. We hope that our research and recommendations help expand the lifeguard pipeline in Hartford and keep the pools open during the hot summers.
References
Brenner, R. A., Taneja, G. S., Haynie, D. L., et al. (2009). Association Between Swimming Lessons and Drowning in Childhood: A Case-Control Study. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(3), 203–210.
Denny, S. A., Quan, L., Gilchrist, J., McCallin, T., Shenoi, R., Yusuf, S., Weiss, J., & Hoffman, B.; COUNCIL ON INJURY, VIOLENCE, AND POISON PREVENTION. (2021). Prevention of Drowning. Pediatrics, August.
Burzillo, M. (2014). The Truth Behind African Americans and Swimming.
Butson, M., Tower, J., & Schwarz, E. C. (2021). Lifeguard turnover in aquatic and recreation centers: Perspectives from managers. Australian Journal of Career Development, 30(1), 33-42.
Dewey, C. (2023, August 2). Cities Boost Wages, Embrace ‘Culture Change’ to Beat Lifeguard Shortage. Athletic Business.
Gardiner, A. (2023). “These Old Guys? Short on Lifeguards, New York City Finds New Recruits.”https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/12/nyregion/senior-lifeguards-shortage.html
Porteous, A. M. (2022). Training tomorrow’s aquatic leaders: A collaborative model in the Regional District of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Tourism Cases, 2022.
Rios, V. (2022). The Power of Images. National Civic Review, 111(3), 68-73.