Observations of caregiver supervision of children at beaches: identification of factors associated with high supervision

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To identify independent factors associated with caregiver supervision levels at beaches. METHODS: Children (aged 1-14 years) engaged in beach play and their caregivers were observed at Australian beaches during September-April, 2008/09. Caregiver, child, and environmental factor data were collected and recorded on a validated observation instrument. The main outcome of interest was a continuous measure of supervision. After adjusting for potential clustering by beach/state, multivariable linear regression was used to identify independent factors associated with caregiver supervision. RESULTS: Four independent predictors of supervision and one interaction effect (child age by the c..