Assessing Aquatic Readiness as a Health-Enhancing Measure in Young Swimmers with Physical Disabilities: The Revised Aquatic Independence Measure (AIM-2)

Chacham-Guber, Anat; Sapir, Yadin; Goral, Aviva; Hutzler, Yeshayahu

doi:10.3390/ijerph22030421

Open AccessArticle

Assessing Aquatic Readiness as a Health-Enhancing Measure in Young Swimmers with Physical Disabilities: The Revised Aquatic Independence Measure (AIM-2)

¹

Israel ParaSport Center, Ramat-Gan 5253529, Israel

²

The Exercise Physiology Program, School of Public Health, Faculty for Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel

³

Levinsky-Wingate Academic College, Faculty for Movement and Sports Sciences, Wingate Institute, Netanya 4290200, Israel

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(3), 421; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030421

Submission received: 19 January 2025 / Revised: 4 March 2025 / Accepted: 8 March 2025 / Published: 13 March 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Intervention for Young Children with or at Risk for Disabilities)

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Abstract

Based on the well-established health outcomes associated with the aquatic environment, this study aimed to evaluate the validity of the Aquatic Independence Measure—Revised (AIM-2). The original scale comprised twenty-three skills, graded on a five-point proficiency scale. A sample of one hundred eight young swimmers with disabilities, who had completed at least two years of training, was assessed by their coaches, generating a dataset of four thousand nine hundred sixty-eight scores. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and internal consistency measures were applied to validate the scale’s structure, resulting in the extraction of three factors accounting for sixty-four percent of the variance, based on thirteen original items. Two independent experts established interrater reliability in twenty-two participants. Additionally, divergent validity was examined across participants’ years of swim-training experience across three disability severity categories, gender, and two age groups. Significant differences were found in skill acquisition based on years of experience and disability severity. The results indicate that the AIM-2 effectively assesses swimming readiness in young swimmers with disabilities. Coaches can use it to monitor progress, optimize training, and support the health benefits of aquatic activities for children and adolescents with disabilities.

Keywords: motor function; physical disability; learn to swim; motor tests; training

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MDPI and ACS Style

Chacham-Guber, A.; Sapir, Y.; Goral, A.; Hutzler, Y. Assessing Aquatic Readiness as a Health-Enhancing Measure in Young Swimmers with Physical Disabilities: The Revised Aquatic Independence Measure (AIM-2). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 421. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030421

AMA Style

Chacham-Guber A, Sapir Y, Goral A, Hutzler Y. Assessing Aquatic Readiness as a Health-Enhancing Measure in Young Swimmers with Physical Disabilities: The Revised Aquatic Independence Measure (AIM-2). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(3):421. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030421

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chacham-Guber, Anat, Yadin Sapir, Aviva Goral, and Yeshayahu Hutzler. 2025. "Assessing Aquatic Readiness as a Health-Enhancing Measure in Young Swimmers with Physical Disabilities: The Revised Aquatic Independence Measure (AIM-2)" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 3: 421. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030421

APA Style

Chacham-Guber, A., Sapir, Y., Goral, A., & Hutzler, Y. (2025). Assessing Aquatic Readiness as a Health-Enhancing Measure in Young Swimmers with Physical Disabilities: The Revised Aquatic Independence Measure (AIM-2). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(3), 421. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030421

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Assessing Aquatic Readiness as a Health-Enhancing Measure in Young Swimmers with Physical Disabilities: The Revised Aquatic Independence Measure (AIM-2)

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