Background Survival rates increase when basic life support (BLS) is provided by bystanders to patients with acute diseases, such as out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; however, its implementation rate is not high. In this study, we investigated "interest on BLS," "knowledge on BLS," and "experience on BLS" as factors related to the willingness to implement BLS among junior high school, high school, and college students who have multiple opportunities to learn it. Methods This is an observational study using a questionnaire survey. The participants were 112 junior high school students, 114 high school students, and 109 university students (non-medical), totaling 294 (87.8% response rate). The questionnaire listed three items on the strength of willingness to perform BLS, three items on attributes of the participant, four items on the score of interest on BLS, one item on the score of knowledge on BLS, and two items on the score of experience on BLS. Results Among junior high school students, the factors that were significantly associated with the willingness to perform BLS were "Presence of someone who died" and "Interest on BLS" score. Among high school and college students, the factors that were significantly associated with the willingness to perform BLS were "Interest on BLS" and "Knowledge on BLS" scores. Conclusion For junior high school students, creating an environment in which they can visualize the actual situation may increase their interest, whereas for high school and university students, in addition to such an environment, conducting seminars of short duration may help them to consolidate their knowledge and increase their willingness to implement BLS.

Background The administration of basic life support (BLS) by bystanders is essential to improve the survival rates of patients who have experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Although providing BLS to individuals who experience OHCA greatly improves their chances of survival, the actual implementation rate is low. Therefore, we investigated the association between bystanders' willingness to perform BLS and facilitative/ obstructive factors with the objective of identifying educational methods that would improve the likelihood of bystanders performing BLS should they encounter a patient with OHCA. Methods The study par ticipants included 502 male and 498 female Japanese residents (total, 1000 participants) with no experience in performing BLS and 42 male and 59 female Japanese residents (total 101 participants) with experience in performing BLS. The participants were aged 15-65 years. Both groups graded the strength of their willingness to perform BLS in the future on a 4-point scale, as well as their level of agreement with factors facilitating or obstructing their willingness to perform BLS. These factors were established based on the theory of helping behavior, which defines psychological states when helping others in social psychology.We then analyzed the associations between willingness to perform BLS in the future and their level of agreement with factors facilitating or obstructing their willingness to perform BLS. Results The willingness to perform BLS decreased in accordance with the increase in the level of intervention required for patients who experienced OHCA , and was significantly associated with four facilitating factors: sufficient ability and experience to perform BLS, personal advantage, high personal norms, and psychological closeness to the patient. Conclusion Our results suggested that workshops and other educational activities focused on these facilitative factors may be helpful in increasing the rate at which bystanders perform BLS.

Background: The administration of basic life-support (BLS) by bystanders is essential to improve the survival rates of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Although providing BLS to individuals who experience an OHCA greatly improves their chances of survival, the actual implementation rate is low. Therefore, we investigated the association between the bystanders’ willingness to perform BLS and facilitative/obstructive factors, with the objective of identifying educational methods that would improve the likelihood of bystanders performing BLS should they encounter a patient with OHCA. Methods: The study participants included 1000 male and female Japanese residents aged 15–65 years with no experience in performing BLS, and 101 with experience, who consented to participate in the study. Both groups graded the strength of their willingness to perform BLS in future on a 4-point scale, as well as their level of agreement with factors facilitating or obstructing their willingness to perform BLS. These factors were designated on the basis of the helping behavior theory. We then analyzed the associations between them. Results: The willingness to perform BLS decreased in accordance with the increase in the level of intervention required concerning the victim and was significantly associated with three facilitating factors: sufficient ability and experience to perform BLS, high personal norms, and a psychological closeness to the victim. Conclusion: Our results suggested that workshops and other educational activities focused on these facilitative factors may be helpful in increasing the rate at which bystanders perform BLS.