Study objective: To determine the effect of infant/child CPR training on CPR knowledge, self-efficacy, and anticipated anxiety among parents of healthy infants/children.
Participants: Parents (n = 36) undergoing a 4-hour training program in infant/child CPR at a tertiary-care hospital located in a suburb of a large metropolitan region and a control group of parents (n = 47) without CPR training were enrolled in the study.
Design: Two parallel forms developed specifically to assess the impact of infant/child CPR training on CPR knowledge, self-efficacy, and anticipated anxiety were independently evaluated for their psychometric characteristics before being administered to the parents with and without CPR training. The CPR-trained parents were requested to complete one form immediately before and the other 1 month after CPR training, and the control group completed the two forms over a 1-month interval. Estimates of the likelihood of infant/child CPR situations were also rated by the parents at the same times. Demographic data were obtained during administration of the second form.
Results: Self-efficacy had increased significantly and anticipated anxiety about CPR had decreased significantly 1 month after CPR training among CPR-trained parents, compared with controls. We found no significant changes in the CPR-trained parents' CPR knowledge or estimates of the likelihood of experiencing CPR situations over the 1-month interval on comparison with data from the controls.
Conclusion: Community-based infant/child CPR training programs affect parents on a variety of levels but may not effect changes in CPR knowledge.