NIAMH KIRK: Men need a wake up call as 1 in 3 Brits feel uncomfortable giving CPR to women
St John's Ambulance have revealed that one in three people are reluctant to give a woman CPR due to worrying about being 'inappropriate'. It's 2025 and women are literally having to fight for their lives
An alarming study has revealed one in three people are too afraid to give women CPR as they're worried about touching a womans breasts. It also found 33% of men are also worried about being accused of "inappropriate" touching when giving chest compressions.
Yes, you read that right. According to a survey by St John Ambulance of 1,000 UK adults, some admitted they would be reluctant to give the life saving treatment to a woman in need.
Now the first aid charity have strongly stated that this sexual taboo is putting women at greater risk of dying from a cardiac arrest. As women, we have had to fight for a lot of things, but surely, fighting for someone to save our life shouldn't be one of them.
It's 2025, but the charity have had to issue a statement that said: "Every body is the same" and that no matter who needs it, CPR should be given. Previous research found only 68 per cent of women are likely to receive bystander CPR compared to 73 per cent of of men.
Now St Johns Ambulance is urging everyone to learn CPR, and that it should be stressed that it is given the same way to both sexes. Why are women less deserving of a chance of survival than men just because we have boobs?
The survey results got even more shocking when it was revealed even less men would be inclined to use a defibrillator as the pads need to be placed on bare skin on the chest area. When hearing this instruction, 38% of people agreed that their levels of discomfort would rise.
Nearly half of the male respondents (46%) stated they would feel less comfortable using a defibrillator on a woman knowing that they might have to remove her clothing, including a bra, versus 31% of females surveyed.
A defibrillator can make a critical difference, as when used within the first three minutes it can increase the chances of someone surviving a cardiac arrest by up to 70%.
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Nearly a quarter (23%) of all respondents admitted they are less likely to give CPR to a woman in public than a man. However, two in three (64%) agreed their comfort levels would increase if offered the right support and training.
We really need to sort this out; it's so sad to think men are more reluctant about saving a woman's life due to the embarrassment or fear of touching them. If I was in need of CPR, I'd hope someone would jump to the rescue and do whatever they needed to in order to save my life - and there's absolutely no way I'd ever think it was inappropriate to be touched while it was being performed.
Things need to change. There needs to be a reality check; men need a wake up call. Just because we're women, doesn't mean we should have less chance of having CPR. It's OK to touch a woman you don't know if you are helping someone who might otherwise die - and there's a chance you might not even touch their boobs anyway.
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