Women suffering heart attacks are less likely to receive CPR from members of the public over fears they could be charged with sexual assault, new research suggests.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement researchers asked dozens of people - many of whom were trained in first aid - why they might be unwilling to give life-saving heart massage to females.

Several themes emerged, including fears that they would be accused of inappropriate touching or assault, or concerns that women were more likely to over-dramatise, or fake an incident.

There was also worried that breasts made CPR more challenging.

Previous research has shown that 45 per cent of men who suffer heart attacks in public receive CPR, compared to 39 per cent of women.

Although the chance of surviving a heart attack is less than 12 per cent, heart massage can triple the odds.

Worries about accusations of sexual assault or inappropriate touching were cited twice as many times by men as by women, while more women mentioned fear of causing injury.

Speaking about how the #MeToo movement may have contributed to the responses, lead author Dr Sarah Perman, assistant professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver, said: “ If we have become so sensitized to this issue, that it is affecting our ability to render assistance to a lifeless woman, then we need to target this via education and exposure.