Introduction:

out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a major public health challenge. School-based training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use is a key strategy to enhance community response.

Objective:

to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured educational intervention on knowledge in CPR and use of AED in adolescent students of an educational center in Paraguay.

Methodology:

a quasi-experimental pre-post-post-group study without a control group, conducted in 2024 in adolescent students at Colegio Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Paraguay. The intervention consisted of a one-day theoretical-practical workshop on the first three links of the chain of survival, given by a team of specialists. Knowledge was measured with the COR-DEA questionnaire (α=0.75), previously validated by the authors. Student's t-tests, ANCOVA adjusted for age and sex, and calculation of the effect size (Cohen's d) were applied.

Results:

a total of 443 students participated (211 pre; 232 post). Mean total score increased from 6.63 ± 2.12 to 7.76 ± 1.94 (t=5.87; p<0.001), with d=0.56 (moderate); ANCOVA F=84.4; p<0.001; delta=1.13. In the CPR subscale, change was minimal (1.98 ± 0.19 to 2.00 ± 0.00; p=0.1388; d=0.14). In the AED subscale, improvement was substantial (1.95 ± 0.20 to 2.85 ± 0.30; p<0.001), with d=0.85 (large).

Conclusion:

the intervention effectively increased overall CPR/AED knowledge, with a particularly strong impact on AED-related competence. Findings support the integration of CPR/AED training into secondary education to enhance community preparedness against cardiac emergencies.

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