Abstract

Background & Objective: First aid education constitutes a major priority area for the Iranian Red Crescent. The present study assessed the student volunteers' knowledge of first aid procedures and their attitudes concerning strategies for community education. Methods: In this survey 5626 volunteers were selected based on a complex sampling design, in 5 different provinces of Iran. Results: A total of 3581 students (63.7) had attended the Red Crescent's first aid training courses. The mean knowledge score of the sample was 9.36 out of a maximum of 18 (CI 95= 9.29-9.43), with only 674 subjects (11.9) showing a high level of knowledge. Having training prior attending in this course and higher education were statistically significant related with their knowledge score (p<0.05). The mean score of their attitude was 33.60 out of a maximum of 45 (95 CI = 33.41-33.79), and only it was found to be related to previous training (p = 0.04). Conclusion: IRCS should expand its first aid training for young volunteers. This health educational programs should be supported by multidisciplinary work by governmental organizations such as ministry of education.