Effects of water safety knowledge on high-risk swimming behaviours among Chinese secondary school students: a moderated mediation model

This study reveals a moderated mediating mechanism whereby sensation seeking influences high-risk swimming behaviours through adolescents' aquatic safety knowledge, offering significant insights into the complex relationship between safety knowledge and risky behaviours. Based on these findings, it is recommended that schools and relevant authorities move beyond mere knowledge dissemination in future drowning prevention education. Instead, they should develop integrated intervention programs that combine knowledge transfer with self-efficacy enhancement and impulse management training. Tailored, precision-targeted safety education should be implemented for students with different psychological traits (such as high sensation seeking). This approach will more effectively prevent adolescent drowning incidents and promote their physical and mental well-being.