NEW YORK (Reuters Health) — Sending seventh graders home with an instructional DVD on CPR and inflatable training mannequin is a good way to get more adults trained in CPR, according to study a conducted in Denmark and published today.

Giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately after cardiac arrest — the sudden loss of heart function caused by a heart attack or a blow to the chest — can double a victim's odds of survival, according to the American Heart Association.

"Adults age 40 to 50 are more likely to encounter a colleague, spouse or friend in cardiac arrest, but they are less likely than others to attend conventional CPR classes. Training target group members at home can help overcome that barrier," study leader Dr. Dan L. Isbye from Copenhagen University Hospital notes in a statement.

Seventh graders often have parents and relatives in the target age group; they are also old enough to teach CPR and perhaps more willing than older teenagers, the authors note.

In the study, roughly 35,000 pupils between 12 and 14 years old attending 806 public and private schools in Denmark were provided with personal resuscitation mannequins and a 24-minute DVD on CPR. Using these materials, the students trained in CPR at school and then were encouraged to use the kit to train family and friends.

According to a report in today's issue of Circulation, surveys completed by 6,947 students at 299 schools showed that each respondent had taught CPR to an average of 2.5 friends and relatives at home — both peers and parents. "To my knowledge this is the largest study of CPR training in school children and the first to document a cascade effect in teaching others," Isbye said.

Isbye's team also saw a slight upward trend in the incidence of "bystander" CPR in the community in the months after the CPR training project compared with the previous year. "One of the most important lessons from this study is that it is possible, in a relatively cheap manner, to disseminate knowledge of CPR training in a population using children as effective facilitators," Isbye said.

SOURCE: Circulation, August 27, 2007.