The impact of water safety skills on primary school students high-risk swimming behaviors: a moderated mediation model

Introduction To investigate the relationship between water safety skills and high-risk swimming behaviors and the underlying mechanisms of self-efficacy and water safety knowledge. Methods Water safety skills, self-efficacy, water safety knowledge, and high-risk swimming behaviors were investigated in 1573 primary school student using a questionnaire. Results (1) After controlling for gender, age, and grade, there was a significant positive effect of water safety skills on high-risk swimming behaviors [ β = 0.062, 95%CI (0.037, 0.088), p < 0.01]; (2) self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between water safety skills and high-risk swimming behavior [ β = 0.050, 95%CI (0.039, 0.060), p < 0.01]; and (3) the mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between water safety skills to high-risk swimming behaviors was negatively moderated by knowledge of water safety [ β = −0.026, 95%CI (−0.035, −0.016), p < 0.01]. Conclusion Self-efficacy mediates between water safety skills and high-risk swimming behavior; water safety knowledge moderates between water safety skills and high-risk swimming behavior.