St John Ambulance aims to teach 500,000 first aid in September
It is as more than a quarter of people in the South East are unaware choking can become life-threatening within minutes
According to new research from St John Ambulance, 27% of people in the South East do not recognise that choking can become life-threatening in minutes without first aid.
less than half of people in the South East, 41%, say they know how to stop someone choking by giving back blows. 40% say they know how to give a choking person an abdominal thrust, formerly called the Heimlich Manoeuvre, while 32% say they have choked to the point of panic because they felt they could not breathe.
The health charity shared the findings as it launches its popular annual Save a Life September campaign, which this year aims to teach half a million people life-saving skills through free demonstrations and online guidance.
During September, St John volunteers across the country will show people how to respond to choking, which hundreds die from in the UK each year. They will also teach the response to cardiac arrest and severe bleeding, including how to do CPR and use a defibrillator.