Table 2.

Behavioral Factors and Key Quotations Guiding life jacket Use

Behavioral Factor	Key Quotes
Facilitators
Boaters use and like routines	“The one time we needed the compass, we had it.”
	“I always go through the whole list because everything safety wise and everything we are ever going to need is on that list.”
Boating is inherently risky and unpredictable	“Once out of Westport we went north for 2 1/2 hours, fished for 15 minutes, and a big storm blew in. It took us 5 1/2 hours to get back, so that wasn’t a fun trip. The weather changes so fast.”
	“We get out there and we’re pulling crab pots and he can’t start the engine. And, he’s got two little paddles…we thought we had plenty of life vests in the boat, right? Well one of them would fit me, but the other one wouldn’t even begin to go around him because it was his son’s…And so he’s got the life vest but he doesn’t have it.”
	“If you are not paying attention while trying to land a fish or something, and catch a wave from the water and [you are] not wearing a life jacket, it could be a serious situation.”
	“Usually you don’t have time to put one on when something’s really wrong.”
Boaters understand and follow boating rules	“I always bring my fishing license…and [make sure] my boat is registered and all that stuff.”
	“There’re just certain things that are done in my boat and that’s just the way it is and if you don’t like it, go with someone else.”
Disdain for inexperience, being unprepared or lacking knowledge	“With boating, more than anything else, there are so many things that you really do have to pay attention to if you go out on a boat. If you don’t, you can have some serious consequences.”
	“You really need to have some knowledge of your boat.”
General Barriers
Alcohol use is prevalent	“They had an ice chest full of crabs and they had another ice chest full of beer and they had 4 crab pots. The whole boat went over…it could have been much, much worse for them”
	“When you’re drinking, there’s a greater chance of doing something stupid.”
	“With a power boat, you know, you’re sitting up there at the helm with the wheel and there isn’t as much to do… you are just steering. There’s a galley there and there’s always somebody pouring drinks.”
“Close calls” do not change behavior	“We just about drowned. We were swimming in the ocean and I jumped in when I shouldn’t and I had to get rescued.”
	“Quite a few years ago, we were fishing…and coming back in they had 40–60 foot swells going back across the bow and nobody had a lifejacket on. They had 5 Coast Guard boats out pulling people back across the water, so that was pretty hairy. You’re down in the water you see nothing but walls of green water and when you’re on top of a wave you can see everything.”
Inexperience may lead to overconfidence or poor preparation	“Are there things that make it more likely that drowning could occur? …I think more than anything it really is inexperience. I mean, I’m old and I still make mistakes. But sometimes younger people…you know, there’s no real thought there.”
	“It’s pretty amazing that people go out so ill prepared, you know.”
	“You know, you’re out there in the water at night; you got to know what you’re doing.”
life jacket use is perceived as being weak, incompetent or inexperienced	What kind of person wears a life jacket every time? “a geek! Tell-tale sign? Pocket protector.”
	“People who wear them [life jackets] all the time are people who don’t boat often.”
Intervention Recommendations
Inflatable life jackets may increase consistent use	“But, finally, I think they’ve come out with lifejackets…like the inflatable ones, that are automatic inflation, but they’re $200. Well, I bought one. This is the way to go.”
	“I’d be more apt to wear that [inflatable life jacket] all the time.”
	“Well, some of them can be real cumbersome, but the new ones are great! They just drape around and you know kind of a tie in back just to keep it on.”
	“The older you get the more stubborn you get, you know… ‘I’m not wearing that damn thing’ and ‘it doesn’t fit me’ and so I think that’s where the fit and the ease of getting it on and all the little issues that go with that.”
Changing the laws	“I think they should just pass laws that anybody under a certain age has to wear one. That accomplishes it.”
	“What’s going to make people wear life jackets…pretty much create a law like seat belts. Probably will reach 90%.”
Encourage boaters to establish immutable rules for their boats	[QUESTION] “So, when the kids get older, you just kind of give them a choice to wear them?” [ANSWER] “No. It’s my boat.”
Change the cost of inflatable life jackets	“They’re [INFLATABLE life jackets] very expensive so most people don’t have them. People don’t want to spend the money.”
	“When a boat that gets sold that has to have all this [INFLATABLE life jackets AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT] in it…because it’s a lot easier to include them into financing a boat over 5, 6, 10 years versus having to dish out $500–$600.”