Abstract
BACKGROUND: The use of mass media is recommended to improve public awareness of first aid and enhance the motivation of laypeople to provide life-saving help. This study aimed to investigate practices of reporting incidents of foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) in online news media, particularly in terms of whether and how information concerning first aid is presented.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that analyzed the content of news articles published within a 2-year timeframe, which reported cases of fatal FBAO that happened in India and the United Kingdom (UK).
RESULTS: The search revealed 47 articles for India and 82 for the UK, including publications by top news brands like BBC News and India Today. The articles reported 18 and 45 unique cases of FBAO, respectively. Only 21.3 percent (n = 47) of articles for India and 1.2 percent (1) for the UK touched upon the relevance of first aid; 0.0 percent (0) and 2.4 percent (2), respectively, addressed the importance of first aid training; 19.1 percent (9) and 2.4 percent (2), respectively, contained some instructions on first aid. The instructions for the most part omitted relevant techniques of first aid, provided insufficient details on how to perform the assistance, and occasionally contained false or misleading information.
CONCLUSIONS: Inappropriate presentation of information on first aid by online news media, including top national news brands, represents a lost opportunity to massively enhance public awareness, knowledge, and perceptions concerning first aid. The development of international guidelines on reporting first aid in mass media is advisable.