Brisbane, Queensland – 14/10/24– My First Aid Brisbane, a prominent first aid training provider in Queensland, is calling for increased CPR training across all cultural communities. This appeal follows a recent University of Sydney study published in BMJ Open, which highlights significant disparities in CPR training rates between Australian-born individuals and those born overseas.
The study reveals that while 77% of Australian-born participants had received CPR training, only 35% of South Asian-born and 48% of East Asian-born individuals had been trained. “These findings are deeply concerning,” says Mal Thompson, Director of My First Aid Brisbane. “CPR can double someone’s chances of surviving a cardiac arrest. It’s crucial that everyone in our diverse Brisbane community has access to this life-saving skill.”
Key findings from the research include:
- Only one in five participants had current or recent CPR training (within the last 12 months).
- Migrants reported a lack of opportunity to learn CPR in their countries of origin.
- Limited access to linguistically diverse training resources and CPR awareness campaigns in Australia compounds the issue.
My First Aid Brisbane is committed to addressing these disparities by creating a welcoming environment for all community members to learn CPR. “We strongly urge people from all cultural backgrounds to come and train with us,” Mal Thompson emphasizes. “Learning CPR is not just about personal safety; it’s about being prepared to help anyone in our community who might need it.”
The organization also highlights the importance of bystander intervention in cardiac emergencies. Three out of four cardiac arrest events in the community occur out of hospital, so it’s vital to act fast.
