Barriers to preschool aged children's participation in swimming lessons in New South Wales, Australia.

Structural barriers must be addressed to increase uptake of swimming lessons in preschool aged children, particularly in priority populations, to reduce drowning risk. SO WHAT?: Evidence-based policy initiatives, with robust evaluation, should seek to address the availability and flexibility of swimming lessons, including for priority populations; complexities associated with supervision requirements; poor awareness of parents/carers of the importance of swimming for preschool aged children and the lack of continuity of swimming for children in out of home care.