Determining the effectiveness of basic first aid training provided to secondary school students

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of first aid training provided to middle school students from diverse socio-demographic backgrounds, and to examine how these differences influence the outcomes of the training. Methods: The study was conducted in three middle schools located in the eastern part of Turkiye between April and July 2016. The population of the study consisted of 7th-grade students (n=391) attending these schools during the spring semester of the 2015-2016 academic year. All students were included in the sample without any selection, as participation was obtained through parental and student consent. Data were collected using the “Descriptive Information Form” and the “First Aid Education Knowledge Evaluation Form”. First aid knowledge levels were assessed before the training, after the training, and two weeks post-training. Results: The study found that the average first aid knowledge scores of students based on socioeconomic status were 58.61±6.26 for high, 60.86±5.86 for middle, and 56.44±6.26 for low socioeconomic status. Post-training, the average scores increased across all groups. These findings indicate that socioeconomic status affects first aid knowledge, but the training programs benefit all students and improve their knowledge levels. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that while socioeconomic status exerts a significant influence on first aid knowledge, the training programmes implemented have resulted in notable improvements in the knowledge levels of all students.