Awareness of the first aid management of foreign body aspiration among students: A cross‑sectional study

Pediatric foreign body aspiration (FBA) is a life‑threatening condition responsible for many deaths every year, especially among children younger than 2 years.

This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge among students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. SUBJECTS AND

This observational, cross‑sectional study was conducted between December and January 2018 at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia via a paper‑based questionnaire survey of male and female high school and middle school students. The Chi‑square test was used to compare frequencies, and the independent t‑test was used to compare means.

A total of 671 students participated in this survey. The second item, “It is possible for a child to choke on a small toy” had the highest rate of correct responses among both males and females (93.2% vs. 94%, respectively). The eighth item “Sudden cough is a sign of choking among children” had the lowest rate of correct responses among males (40.8%) and females (33%). Most female participants (74.2%) knew that batteries are the most dangerous items a child can swallow, which requires immediate medical attention (item 14), while only 56.2% of male participants knew that (P < 0.001). The only significant predictor on linear regression analysis was “Having treated anyone with FBA” (coefficient = −0.24, P = 0.03).

There is inadequate knowledge regarding FBA among middle and high school students, as is the case among mothers. Moreover, only a small percentage of participants had any first aid training