A preliminary analysis of passport to practice: investigating development of core competencies in undergraduate health promotion students.

BACKGROUND: Equipping tertiary health promotion students with skills and knowledge to contribute meaningfully to the health promotion workforce begins with enhancing their health promotion competence via well-designed curriculum. This includes a focus on work-integrated learning, global citizenship, professional identity and competency mapping in line with the International Union for Health Promotion and Education Core Competencies and Professional Standards for Health Promotion. METHODS: In this paper we report baseline results for the Passport to Practice project, a mixed-methods prospective cohort study to track undergraduate health promotion student progress across their degree, to evaluate a new approach for assessing student achievement of the Competencies and Standards developed by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education. Baseline data were collected from first-year students via document analysis of student reflection papers (n = 40); and an online survey (n = 29) to measure self-reported health promotion competence, development of global citizenship and professional identity, and PebblePad usability. RESULTS: Findings suggest the Passport to Practice initiative positively contributed to professional identity and health promotion competence. Students appreciated work-integrated learning opportunities that enabled them to plan for future activities to address gaps in their competence; and students excelled in the social responsibility dimension of global citizenship but lagged in the political voice category of the global civic engagement dimension. CONCLUSION: Findings provide insights about strategies and concepts required to equip students with the skills and knowledge required for their role as health promotion practitioners to address complex public health challenges.

A Review of Interventions for Drowning Prevention Among Adults.

Adult drowning is a complex and multifactorial public health challenge requiring community, national and global efforts to mitigate impacts. This study updates the evidence base for public health interventions that address adult fatal and non-fatal drowning. A systematic review was undertaken of the peer-reviewed literature for English-language primary studies published between 2011 and 2021describing a drowning intervention with adults. Twenty-two studies were included. Most studies (n = 16) were conducted in high-income countries. Yearly trends in drowning prevention intervention publications were analysed with 2015 (n = 6) the peak publishing year. Over half of the study designs were pre-post (n = 15). Intervention duration ranged from 4 hours to 11 years. Ten studies described either behaviour change theory or formative evaluation to inform design. Thirteen studies targeted interventions at a population level, seven at a group level and two at individual level. Studies identified a range of prevention strategies, categorised as behavioural (n = 9) (e.g., swimming lessons), socio-ecological (n = 8) (e.g., mandatory personal flotation devices) and mixed (n = 5) (e.g., awareness campaign and barriers to prevent access to water). A range of outcomes were described including changes in awareness, water safety knowledge, attitudes, water safety behaviours and skills, environmental, policy and regulation changes and drowning rates. Findings indicate a small but important increase in the evaluation and publication of effective interventions to prevent adult drowning. The complexity of the issues surrounding drowning requires multi-strategy and context -specific adult focused prevention interventions. Contemporary evidence that identifies effective interventions that contribute to prevention efforts is an essential first step in addressing the challenge.

Using ERIC to Assess Implementation Science in Drowning Prevention Interventions in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review identifies and describes the use of the Expert Recommendation for Implementing Change (ERIC) concepts and strategies using public health approaches to drowning prevention interventions as a case study. International calls for action have identified the need to better understand the implementation of drowning prevention interventions so that intervention design and implementation is improved. In high-income countries (HICs), interventions are sophisticated but still little is known or written about their implementation. The review was registered on PROSPERO (number CRD42022347789) and followed the PRISMA guidelines. Eight databases were searched. Articles were assessed using the Public Health Ontario Meta-tool for quality appraisal of public health evidence. Forty-nine articles were included. Where ERIC strategies were reported, the focus was on evaluative and iterative strategies, developing partnerships and engaging the target group. The review identified few articles that discussed intervention development and implementation sufficiently for strategies to be replicated. Findings will inform further research into the use and measurement of implementation strategies by practitioners and researchers undertaking work in drowning prevention in HICs and supports a call to action for better documentation of implementation in public health interventions.

A comparison of face-to-face and fully online problem-based learning: Student results and staff experiences, 2014-2020.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-directed pedagogy that promotes critical thinking, self-directed learning and communication skills essential for health promotion students and practitioners. This paper reports on student results, student evaluation and staff experience of PBL in the face-to-face and fully online environment in an undergraduate health sciences unit in an Australian university. METHODS: A single time-point study using quantitative and qualitative administrative student data (2014-2020) and narrative reflection from teaching academics (n = 5) was undertaken. Descriptive, independent t test and bivariate analyses for student results data were conducted; an inductive approach was used to analyse qualitative data and create codes. RESULTS: Student sample (n = 472) consisted face-to-face (n = 358, 75.8%) and online (n = 114, 24.2%) enrolments. Final Unit Mark was significantly higher for fully online students compared with face-to-face students in 2018 (P = .007) and 2019 (P = .001). Final Unit Achievement was significantly higher for fully online students compared with face-to-face students in 2018 (P = .017) and 2019 (P = .043). Three themes emerged: The PBL approach; Evolution of PBLs; Student skills and competencies. DISCUSSION: PBL allows students to learn through facilitated problem solving and strong collaborative skills. The face-to-face and fully online PBLs improved the student and academic staff experience, while supporting the development of critical thinking and self-directed research. Further, it supported students to develop their core health promotion competencies; and enhanced the online student learning experience. SO WHAT?: Vital for contemporary, global graduates, the fully online PBL approach allows students to build critical academic and professional skills utilising current information technology relevant for collaborative professional practice.

What does 'Keep Watch' mean to migrant parents? Examining differences in supervision, cardiopulmonary resuscitation training and water familiarisation.

OBJECTIVES: Drowning is a public health challenge. Children of migrants may be at increased risk as parents may be unaware of local water safety issues. This study explores differences between Australian-born and migrant parents in Western Australia for: (1) swimming ability; (2) supervision; (3) water familiarisation; and (4) cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of parents and carers of children aged under 5 years residing in WA (n = 1506) captured demographics, knowledge of appropriate supervision, water safety knowledge and skills. Logistic regression was conducted. RESULTS: Migrants were significantly less likely to identify adequate supervision (p = 0.004); have participated in child water familiarisation programmes (p = 0.000); or perceived themselves as able swimmers (p = 0.000). Significantly less migrants had also undertaken CPR training (p = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Findings add to the small but growing body of literature highlighting the importance of tailored drowning prevention strategies for migrants in countries such as Australia with a strong aquatic culture.