title: Students' and parents' attitudes toward basic life support training in primary schools.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess attitudes of students and their parents toward basic life support (BLS) training in primary schools, along with their perceptions of students' fears toward applying and training BLS.
  
  
  METHODS
  In October 2011, a specifically designed, voluntary and anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 7th and 8th grade students and to their parents in two primary schools in Split, Croatia. Completed questionnaires were analyzed to determine the validity of the scale, and to determine sex and group differences in individual items and the whole scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The questionnaires were completed by 301 school children and 361 parents. Cronbach's alpha of the whole scale was 0.83, indicating good internal consistency. The students' score for the whole attitude scale was 73.7 ∓ 11.1 out of maximum 95, while the parents' score was 68.0 ∓ 11.9. Students' attitude was significantly more positive than that of the parents (U=29.7, P<0.001). The greatest perceived students' fear toward applying BLS was that they would harm the person in need of BLS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that in Croatia both students in their last two years of primary school and their parents had a positive attitude toward BLS training in primary schools. Implementing compulsory BLS training in Croatia's primary schools could help increase students' confidence, quell their fears toward applying BLS, and possibly even increase the survival of bystander-witnessed cardiac arrests.
authors.affiliation: Jasna Petric, University Hospital Split, Spinciceva 1, 21000 Split, Croatia, jasna.petric1@st.t-com.hr.
authors.forename: Jasna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Petrić
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malički
authors.forename: Domagoj
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marković
authors.forename: Julije
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meštrović
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D017523:Croatia; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012574:Schools; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires