INFORMATION FOR
A new study led by William Paterson University public health professor Naa-Solo Tettey found that confidence, access to information, and familiarity with emergency response tools influence African Americans’ willingness to perform Hands-Only CPR during a cardiac emergency. The findings may help inform efforts to reduce longstanding racial disparities in survival rates following sudden cardiac arrest.
“With sudden cardiac arrest, health inequity can become fatal within minutes, and the study shows that saving lives requires more than awareness,” Tettey says. “Communities need trusted education, confidence building, and access to lifesaving tools like CPR training and AEDs (automated external defibrillators). The broader lesson is that health disparities are reduced when people are not only informed but also equipped and empowered to act.”
Her study analyzed survey responses from 372 adults who participated in HeartSmarts, a faith- and community-based cardiovascular health education program serving predominantly African Americans. Tettey is creator and director of the program, which launched in New York City and now serves communities throughout the Tri-State Area. Survey participants completed a Hands-Only CPR educational module and then answered questions about their confidence and willingness to respond during a cardiac emergency.Among the study's most significant findings was the role of fear-related barriers. Individuals frequently cited concerns about causing harm or performing CPR incorrectly.
“What surprised me was that even after Hands-Only CPR education, participants were still more comfortable helping a family member or friend than a stranger,” Tettey explains. “CPR training is meant to build confidence to act, but this finding shows that education alone may not fully overcome fear and hesitation. In many cardiac emergencies, survival depends on whether a stranger is willing to step in.”
The research also found that access to emergency preparedness resources, including AEDs and AED training, increased participants' confidence and willingness to help others in an emergency.
According to Tettey, the findings suggest that community-based education programs, culturally responsive health messaging, and expanded access to CPR and AED training can help build the confidence bystanders need to intervene when every second counts.
"The study highlights that CPR education must go beyond teaching the steps,” Tettey says. “People need training that addresses fear, uncertainty, legal concerns, and real-life hesitation. It also underscores the need for AEDs and emergency preparedness resources in the places where people live, work, worship, and gather. Preparedness should not depend on zip code.”
The study, titled "Reducing Racial Disparities in Bystander CPR: Psychological and Environmental Determinants of Hands-Only CPR Willingness in African American Communities," was co-authored by Holly Andersen of Weill Cornell Medical College. It was published April 22, 2026, in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.
