Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 11, 2025
Ultrasonographic Assessment During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Published on: October 24, 2020
CPR/AED Training State Requirements for US High School Students and Athletic Coaches: A Descriptive Comparison
1Author Affiliations: Korey Stringer Institute, Department of Kinesiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, (Dr Eason, Frey, Dr Berkowsky, Casa); Adams Sports Medicine Consulting LLC, Colorado Spring, CO, USA (Dr Adams); Department of Kinesiology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA, (Dr Adams); School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM), Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK, (Dr Adams); Department of Orthopedics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA, (Dr Adams); and Division of Athletic Training, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, (Dr Scarneo-Miller).
Context:
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) remains the leading cause of death in sport. Research has consistently shown that CPR/AED training significantly increases the likelihood of bystander intervention in cardiac emergencies.
Objective:
To compare statewide policies requiring CPR/AED training as a graduation requirement for students and CP.
Setting:
United States secondary schools.
Participants:
High school sports safety policy mandates and graduation requirements in all 50 states and the District of Columbia enacted as of December 31, 2024.
Main Outcome Measures:
A rubric inclusive of a section on emergency preparedness was used to assess high school sports safety policy mandates. State statute and state high school athletic association (SHSAA) bylaws/rules were reviewed via a 3-tier process. To determine CPR/AED training graduation requirements, the lead author referenced the American Heart Association website and schoolcpr.com to obtain a comprehensive list of states with the requirement currently in place. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate frequencies.
Results:
Following our policy review, 34 (67%) states require both coaches and high school students to receive CPR/AED training, while 2 (4%) states have no requirements. In 9 (17%) states, students are required to have CPR/AED training as part of their graduation requirements, whereas coaches are not. In 6 (12%) states, coaches are required to have CPR/AED training whereas students are not.
Conclusions:
Currently 79% of states have requirements for coaches to have CPR/AED training and 84% of states require students to have CPR/AED training. However, there are 9 states where high school students are required to have more training in CPR/AED skills than the adults who would be supervising their practices. These results identify a possible gap in CPR/AED bystander training and raise questions regarding who would respond in the event of a cardiac emergency.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation III: AED Use
01:21Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation I: Adult
01:25Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation IV: Pharmacological Management
01:17Exercise and Cardiac Output
Sustained exercise increases the muscles' oxygen demand, which can be...
01:20Exercise and Cardiovascular Response
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...
01:22Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation II: ACLS Airway Management