Race/Ethnicity and Neighborhood Characteristics Are Associated With Bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Pediatric Out‐of‐Hospital Cardiac Arrest in the United States: A Study From CARES

Abstract

Background Whether racial and neighborhood characteristics are associated with bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) in pediatric out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is unknown. Methods and Results An analysis was conducted of CARES (Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival) for pediatric nontraumatic OHCAs from 2013 to 2017. An index (range, 0–4) was created for each arrest based on neighborhood characteristics associated with low BCPR (>80% black; >10% unemployment; <80% high school; median income, <$50 000). The primary outcome was BCPR. BCPR occurred in 3399 of 7086 OHCAs (48%). Compared with white children, BCPR was less likely in other races/ethnicities (black: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.59; 95% CI, 0.52–0.68; Hispanic: aOR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.66–0.94; and other: aOR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.40–0.72). Compared with arrests in neighborhoods with an index score of 0, BCPR occurred less commonly for arrests with an index score of 1 (aOR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70–0.91), 2 (aOR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.65–0.86), 3 (aOR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.45–0.61), and 4 (aOR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.36–0.59). Black children had an incrementally lower likelihood of BCPR with increasing index score while white children had an overall similar likelihood at most scores. Black children with an index of 4 were approximately half as likely to receive BCPR compared with white children with a score of 0. Conclusions Racial and neighborhood characteristics are associated with BCPR in pediatric OHCA. Targeted CPR training for nonwhite, low‐education, and low‐income neighborhoods may increase BCPR and improve pediatric OHCA outcomes.

Keywords

• bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• children
• out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest
• pediatric
• race/ethnicity
• socioeconomic status