Approximately 50% of parents who took Parent Heart Watch’s youth heart safety quiz do not think or are unsure if the schools, sports facilities and camps their child attends are prepared for a cardiac emergency. Participants were asked if they believed faculty, staff, volunteers, parents and youth understand that an SCA victim’s heart has stopped, and that they must immediately call 911 and start hands-only CPR. Importantly, only about 40% were confident all knew that bystander CPR could triple the chance of survival for a sudden cardiac arrest victim.

While about 60% of parents felt facility staff and volunteers were trained in CPR/AED use, only 45% thought the facility had a written and well-practiced cardiac emergency response plan. Nearly 70% trust cardiac emergencies have been at least discussed with youth, though only about 60% claim parents have been similarly advised. About 40% note these facilities do not or may not have an AED, which leaves many youth vulnerable to sudden death.

Finally, the quiz participants claimed that adults supervising youth were nearly 10% more likely to know the warning signs of a heart condition than they as parents are, even though parents are the first line of defense in protecting the young hearts in their life.

Share the quiz with your community so we can raise awareness of everyone’s role in SCA prevention. Quiz takers will get a heart-safe ranking for their facility with tips on how to improve cardiac emergency preparedness.