St John Ambulance ‘CPR Bra’ goes on sale to address the gender gap in first aid and save more women’s lives
One in five (20%) men in the UK would hesitate to give CPR to a woman in public because they fear being filmed and posted on social media, a new St John Ambulance survey has revealed ahead of Restart a Heart Day.
The poll of 2,000 people also found that concerns about being ‘accused of touching women inappropriately’ are stopping even more men from acting in a cardiac arrest. Almost a third (31%) of men said they would hesitate to perform life-saving CPR on a woman in public for fear of such accusations – making it the single biggest barrier to action, ahead of worries about ‘accidentally hurting them’ (28%) or ‘making the situation worse’ (24%).
The first aid charity shares these findings as it announces that its educational CPR Bra is going on sale, following widespread public demand. The CPR Bra – which features the consensual message “It’s OK to save my life” – was originally created in 2024 as an awareness campaign to tackle fears around touching breasts when giving CPR. Previous research from St John Ambulance found that this discomfort caused one in three people to hesitate before starting chest compressions on a woman in public.*
Designed by St John Ambulance medical experts, the bra also includes crucial visual prompts to remind bystanders what to do in a cardiac arrest. The CPR sports bra will be available to purchase from boobydoo at boobydoo.co.uk/cpr-bra/ priced from £35 with 50% of the proceeds supporting the charity’s life-saving work.
Nikki Sanderson St John Ambulance CPR Bra
Photo : James Speakman/PA Media Assignments
Millennials most hesitant
The research also revealed a generational divide. Fear of social media scrutiny is highest among Millennials with 21% of respondents, male and female, concerned that someone might film them and share on social media, followed by Gen Z aged 18-28 (16%), Gen X aged 45-60, (15%), and Baby Boomers aged 61-79 (10%).
St John Ambulance’s medical director, Dr Lynn Thomas says:
Women are less likely to receive CPR in public and hesitation is costing lives. Every second counts in a cardiac arrest and doing something is always better than doing nothing. It’s important we don’t shame anyone for hesitating as these fears are real and understandable, BUT no-one should ever feel afraid to try to save a life.”
Celebrity support
Hollyoaks and Coronation Street actor Nikki Sanderson, who is supporting the campaign, said she knows first-hand how critical CPR can be.
“In 2021 my mum had a cardiac arrest, and we had to perform CPR until paramedics arrived. If we’d hesitated, she wouldn’t be here today,” she said.
“It’s horrifying that so many people say they are less likely to help a woman in public – especially because they’re afraid about people filming and sharing it online. That woman could be someone’s mum, sister or daughter. We need to remove these barriers so we can ‘bust the taboo’ because everyone deserves the same chance of survival.”
Sports bra experts support life-saving campaign
Jessica Grace, Marketing Manager at boobydoo, said: “At boobydoo, we’re passionate about empowering women through education, confidence and helping them find the right support for their bodies and chosen activity. Partnering with St John Ambulance on the CPR Bra was a natural fit because it aligns closely with our mission to support women, raise awareness of issues that disproportionately affect women and help remove barriers that can impact health, confidence and participation.”
