Background: Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is one of the leading causes of death around the world. It is a major life-threatening emergency with high mortality which needs immediate intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) plays a fundamental role in the survival of SCA. Studies in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) show that only a few victims of SCA receive CPR. The objective of this study is to assess knowledge and attitude about CPR among secondary school students in Al Ahsa, KSA.
Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among secondary school students in Al Ahsa, KSA from 2019 to 2020. The study had 387 participants including male and female secondary school students, and the data were collected using an online self-administrated questionnaire.
Results: Male participants were 50.6%, while female participants were 49.4%. Most of the participants (98.4%) were Saudi. Among the total, 23.8% did not had any information about CPR, and 40.3% stated they didn't know the meaning of CPR. Only 25.3% of participants had taken a basic life support (BLS) course, and 53.5% thought that the BLS course should be mandatory.
Conclusion: The findings of the study reflected a poor level of knowledge about BLS and CPR among secondary school students in Al Ahsa, KSA. The introduction of BLS and CPR courses in the curriculum of secondary schools in Al Ahsa city is highly recommended.
Key words: Awareness, basic life support, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, male students, female students, secondary school students
|