Predicting youth intention to help a road accident victim in fast urbanizing district of India: a PLS-SEM approach based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

BACKGROUND: In countries with evolving prehospital trauma care systems, it is recommended that volunteers es-pecially youth can be trained to perform as first responders to render basic emergency care until care by formally trained health-care personnel’s is available. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TBP), the present study aims to predict intention to help road accident victim among young adults in a fast-urbanizing Indian city. METHODS: A cross sectional survey was conducted among 695 college students of Jodhpur, Rajasthan by self-administered questionnaire based on theory of planned behavior (TPB). Predictor of behavioral intention to help an accident victim was assessed through partial least square structural equation model (PLS-SEM). RESULTS: Theory of planned behavior provided a reliable and valid framework for predicting intention of college students towards helping an accident victim. Perceived confidence (β = 0.344, p less than 0.001); attitude (β = 0.323, p less than 0.001) and social norm (β = 0.251, p less than 0.001), all emerged as the significant direct predictor of intention. Perceived confi-dence also significantly predicted social norm (β = 0.370, p less than 0.001) and attitude (β = 0.281, p less than 0.001). Further, attitude towards helping an accident victim was also influenced by social norm (β = 0.366, p less than 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Based on framework of TPB, role of perceived confidence, social norm and attitude is found to significantly predict intention among college youth towards helping an accident victim. Public health interventions designed towards engaging and training youth as first responders in countries with fragmented pre-hospital trauma care systems need to encompass these aspects by establish-ing community based training programs for potential first responders and recognition of good Samaritans.