Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude of Basic Life Support (BLS) among Schoolteachers in the Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Basic life support (BLS) is vital for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival. Previous studies suggested that Saudi schoolteachers' BLS knowledge and training are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of BLS among schoolteachers in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Self-administered, online questionnaires were distributed to 24 randomly selected schools in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Data were presented as frequency, percentage, mean (M), and standard deviation (SD). Statistical analysis was conducted using an independent sample t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA).  Results: A total of 424 participants completed the study questionnaires, and 246 (58.0%) were male. Participants’ age ranged from 20 to 62 years (M = 41.68, SD = 7.25). A total of 83 (19.6%) teachers had completed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. The overall level of BLS knowledge and skills was inadequate (M = 4.79, SD = 1.30). Knowledge scores were statistically different between males and females [t(1, 422) = 4.45, p=0.001]. Also, BLS knowledge scores differed significantly between teachers who had previous CPR training and teachers who did not [t (1, 422) = 25.48, p = 0.000]. In general, teachers had positive attitudes towards the importance of BLS and were willing to have future BLS training.  Conclusion: The study showed that schoolteachers had positive attitudes towards BLS but lacked BLS knowledge which would affect their skills.