Knowledge and attitudes towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation among university students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the knowledge and attitudes towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among the students of King Saud University.


METHODS
This study was a cross-sectional survey among King Saud University students, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which took place on December 17-20, 2006. The data was collected via self-administered questionnaires prepared in Arabic. The questionnaires were distributed to all 15 colleges of the University.


RESULTS
Out of a study sample of 2250 students, 31% did not have prior CPR information. Of those with previous knowledge, 85% feel that it is inadequate. The most common sources of information were television and movies. The 12.7% of individuals encountered a situation that required the use of CPR. However, only 14% of them performed it. This was mostly due to lack of knowledge (48.2%). Eighty eight percent of students would like to learn how to perform CPR. Out of all King Saud University students, 45% believe that CPR training should be a graduation requirement.


CONCLUSIONS
It was found that the overall attitude towards CPR was positive. However, the knowledge on the topic was insufficient. Thus, more focus should be placed on the improvement of CPR skills. In addition, more studies are needed to assess knowledge and attitudes towards CPR in the community.
Al-Turki
Yousef A
YA
Department of Family & Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, PO Box 28054, Riyadh 11437. yalturki@ksu.edu.sa
Al-Fraih
Yasser S
YS
Jalaly
Jalal B
JB
Al-Maghlouth
Ibrahim A
IA
Al-Rashoudi
Fahad H
FH
Al-Otaibi
Azzam F
AF
Al-Thnayan
Anas A
AA
Trabzoni
Abdulmohsin I
AI
Al-Shaykh
Abdulaziz S
AS
D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult