More and more primary school students can not swim

Floatability in children declined significantly

02/02/2015

Swimming is one of the most popular recreational activities among children, but not all elementary school students can safely move in the water. Thus, the data published by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) from the nationwide study on child health (KiGGS) show that around one in six children between the ages of seven and ten can not swim.

„Swimming is fun and at the same time a recreational activity with great health and development potential“, reports the RKI. For example, vigorous swimming to cause the muscles without over- and Fehlbelastungsschäden. Furthermore, swimming trains the stamina, important motor and coordination skills and have „a positive influence on the course of certain chronic diseases such as asthma and autism spectrum disorders“. There is also a social component here, as children who can not swim often have little or no access to places of experience such as swimming pools or natural bathing waters.

Fewer children buoyant with low social status
In view of the numerous positive effects on the development and health of children, according to the RKI, they should learn to swim as early as possible, whereby an age of four to five years is considered optimal for participation in the beginner swimming course. Floatability should be achieved by leaving the elementary school at the latest, which illustrates the need for action with a share of about 15 percent of non-swimmers aged between seven and ten years. In addition, the KiGGS survey of parents and children found that children with low social status can swim less often than peers with high social status. Also would have „Children from the low status group, who can swim, learned to swim about 1.5 years later than children from the high status group“, reports the RKI.

Gender differences
Last but not least, gender-specific differences in swimming ability were also evident in the study, with these being particularly evident at pre-primary and primary school age. Here fewer boys could swim than girls. In addition, girls who were able to swim, learned this on average about four months earlier than buoyant boys. However, until reaching the age of majority, the gender differences have largely leveled off, and according to the RKI, around 98 percent of boys and girls can swim.

Lack of swimming lessons
The RKI points in its current communication also on a previous surveys of the German Life Rescue Society (DLRG) from the year 2010 therefore at the end of primary school age, only half of the 10-year-old children as safe swimmers (at least bronze badge or the former free float) can be designated. In the past decades, a significant decrease in buoyancy has been observed overall, reports the RKI. The experts are responsible for various reasons for this. So according to the RKI „a frequently cited aspect, that increasingly more indoor and outdoor pools are being converted into so-called "fun pools" with limited swimming possibilities or being closed due to municipal austerity measures.“ Many schools are not able to offer the instruction in the syllabus due to the loss of the swimming pool. (Fp)