Major League Soccer Provides a Captive Audience for Promoting Bystander CPR and AED Use Among Hispanics

Rates of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use are lower in Hispanic compared to non-Hispanic white communities. Novel instructional methods that focus on population subgroups most likely to benefit must be explored. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility, efficiency, and participant demographics of 10-minute educational intervention on bystander CPR and AED use delivered at a pre-match festival for Major League Soccer (MLS) fans.

Results are reported with descriptive statistics. The primary outcomes included: (1) Training efficiency index for cardiac arrest (TEICA) defined as persons trained/volunteer hours; (2) cardiac arrest training yield (CATY) defined as percent participation by the target audience; and (3) percent of participants of Hispanic origin. Our secondary outcome was average post intervention knowledge survey score.

CATY was 16% and TEICA was 3.81. Survey participation was 48.3% and 38.9% of survey participants were Hispanic. Average knowledge score post training was 87.5%.

Soccer matches may be a suitable setting for provision of CPR and AED training to Hispanics. This intervention gives insight into a novel way of providing health education to Hispanics that can be applied to other behaviors.