Abstract 16236: The Majority of Laypersons Trained in CPR Do Not Maintain Current Certification or Training

Abstract

Background: Recent work has demonstrated that U.S. CPR training rates are low, yet few studies have measured the overall prevalence of CPR education and whether individuals have maintained training over time. Furthermore, few studies have linked individual-level demographics with current maintenance of CPR training. Quantifying these variations could help inform future targeted education initiatives. Objectives: We hypothesized that current CPR training frequency is low in Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA). As a secondary analysis, we examined gender and racial variation among those who are currently trained. Methods: We administered validated survey questions to assess CPR training status through the Community Health Household Survey, a semi-annual survey of 50,000 households in SEPA. Participants were contacted via random-digit-dialing using stratified sampling methods. Analysis was performed using categorical methods. Results: From 12/2014-2/2015, 10,048 participants completed the regional health household survey. Subjects mean age was 44±23 and 55% were female. Overall, 61% identified taking a CPR training course at some point in time, while only 18% were trained within the past two years; 15% identified being CPR certified. Of those who were certified, 76% sought certification for their vocation. CPR training status varied by gender, with more females identified being trained in the past two years compared to males (61% vs 39%, p<0.01). This gender distribution was similar among those who reported certification for their vocation (62% vs 38%, p<0.01). Additionally, current CPR training status varied by race; among those trained within two years, 62% were White, 27% were Black, and 6% were Latino (p<0.01). Conclusions: The overall prevalence of those currently trained or certified in CPR was low in SEPA. These data suggest that many individuals seek CPR training at some point, but few maintain current training or certification. Additionally, there was gender and racial variation among those currently trained within the past 2 years. These data suggest the need for programs to offer CPR skill refreshers among targeted layperson subpopulations. Future work may consider implementing a similar CPR training prevalence survey nationally.