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 OHCA s 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 OHCA s (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.