Assessment of knowledge, attitude and readiness of University of Latvia students in performing first aid resuscitation measures

This Study aimed to assess the readiness and competence of students at the University of Latvia in performing resuscitation measures from a first aid perspective. A cross-sectional study was conducted in August – December 2025, a bilingual Likert scale questionnaire collected the data of 301 non-medical student. Concerning Awareness & Knowledge majority of respondents reported their familiarity with CPR as beyond moderate, describing it as extremely familiar (N = 52; 16.56%), very familiar (N = 111; 36.42%). Regarding CPR Training & Willingness to Learn, a high percentage of respondents were unwilling to attend a free CPR course, responding with unlikely (N = 58; 19%) and very unlikely (N = 20; 6%), respectively. Statistical analysis showed the reason why participants would not attend a CPR training course was being too busy (N = 143; 54%). Majority attended CPR training at least once (N = 253; 85%). Most students agreed CPR should be learned by the public (N = 200; 66.2%). Willingness to perform it was higher for family members (N = 162; 56%) than strangers due to fear of harming the victim. Finally, most university students showed strong support for mandatory CPR/AED training (N = 185; 61%), likewise, strong support was shown for the importance of CPR skills due to global insecurities (N = 228; 76%).The study found out that university students showed significant levels of knowledge and skills of CPR; however, they lacked willingness to perform due to fear of legal consequences, lack of knowledge, and insufficient understanding of responsibilities.