The willingness to perform first aid among high school students and associated factors in Hue, Vietnam

Le Duc Huy; Pham Thanh Tung; Le Nguyen Quynh Nhu; Nguyen Tuan Linh; Dinh Thanh Tra; Nguyen Vu Phuong Thao; Tran Xuan Tien; Hoang Huu Hai; Vo Van Khoa; Nguyen Thi Anh Phuong; Hoang Bao Long; Bui Phuong Linh

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0271567

The willingness to perform first aid among high school students and associated factors in Hue, Vietnam

PLoS One. 2022 Jul 27;17(7):e0271567. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271567. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Le Duc Huy^{1

2}, Pham Thanh Tung^{3

4

5}, Le Nguyen Quynh Nhu⁶, Nguyen Tuan Linh⁷, Dinh Thanh Tra⁷, Nguyen Vu Phuong Thao⁷, Tran Xuan Tien⁷, Hoang Huu Hai⁸, Vo Van Khoa⁹, Nguyen Thi Anh Phuong^{10

11

12}, Hoang Bao Long¹³, Bui Phuong Linh^{5

14}

Affiliations

¹ Health Personnel Training Institute, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam.
² School of Health Care Administration, College of Management, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America.
⁴ Department of Physiology, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁵ Research Advancement Consortium in Health, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁶ Daklak Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, Daklak, Vietnam.
⁷ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam.
⁸ Faculty of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, Danang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy, Da Nang, Vietnam.
⁹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam.
¹⁰ Faculty of Nursing, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam.
¹¹ Faculty of International Education, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam.
¹² Office of Science-Technology and International Relations, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam.
¹³ Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hanoi, Vietnam.
¹⁴ Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America.

Abstract

Background: Adolescents who are willing to perform first aid can help prevent injuries and ultimately death among themselves and others involved in accidents or injuries. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of students' willingness to perform first aid procedures and additionally examine associated factors among high school students in Hue, Vietnam.

Methods: A cross-sectional study utilizing multi-stage stratified random sampling was conducted between April to July 2020 by investigating 798 high school students in Hue, Vietnam. Participants were invited to complete a self-reported questionnaire pertaining to individual demographic characteristics, personal perception of self-efficacy, and willingness to perform first aid. To better interpret these findings, both multivariable linear and Poisson regression models were fitted to evaluate the association between individual student characteristics and the willingness to perform first aid.

Results: The prevalence of having willingness to perform first aid (defined as ≥4 points out of 5 to all three questions) was 49.9% (95%CI:28.6-71.2%). The major reported barriers in performing first aid were fear of making mistakes and hurting victims (34.4%, 95%CI:31.9-37.0%), no prior first aid training (29.8%, 95%CI:25.9-33.9%), and forgetting first aid steps (23.0%, 95%CI:15.8-32.2%). By employing the multivariable linear regression model, it was identified that students with high (β = 0.614, 95%CI:0.009-1.219) or very high (β = 1.64, 95%CI:0.857-2.422) levels of self-efficacy appeared to be more willing to perform first aid. Similarly, in the Poisson regression models, compared to neutral students, students who reported high (PR = 1.214, 95%CI:1.048-1.407) or very high (PR = 1.871, 95%CI:1.049-3.337) levels of self-efficacy were more willing to perform first aid.

Conclusions: The level of willingness to perform first aid among high school students in this study population was found to be moderate. Therefore, integrating activities to promote self-efficacy in first aid training could be considered a progressive step towards improving a student's willingness to provide such life-saving procedures.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Cross-Sectional Studies
First Aid*
Humans
Self Efficacy
Students*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Vietnam / epidemiology

Grants and funding

The study received funding (for study design and data acquisition) from the Research Advancement Consortium in Health (REACH) - a non-profit entity in Vietnam, of which Linh Bui and Tung Pham are co-managers. Linh Bui and Tung Pham did not receive any payment or compensation from this position at REACH. On behalf of REACH, they provided consultancy on study design, data collection and analysis, and preparation of the manuscript. However, Linh Bui and Tung Pham had no role in the decision to publish this study, and this final decision belongs to the funded research team.