Disaster Preparedness and Awareness among University Students: A Structural Equation Analysis
Abstract
:1. Introduction
Disaster Preparedness Indicators
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Data Collection
2.2. Statistical Tests
2.2.1. Dimensions Reduction: Principal Component Analysis
2.2.2. Structural Equation Modeling
2.3. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Willingness to Take DRR Course
3.2. Students’ Perception of Assisting Disaster Management Agencies
3.3. Students’ Perception of First Aid
3.4. Students’ Perception of Who Is Responsible for Their Safety
3.5. Analysis of Students’ Perception of including DRR Education in the Curriculum
3.6. Analysis of Students’ Perception of Major Barriers to Learning about DRR
3.7. Statistical Analysis
3.7.1. PCA
3.7.2. Conceptual Model
3.8. SEM Modelling
3.8.1. Mediating Effects of Key Variables
3.8.2. Indirect Effects of Socio-Demographics
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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# | Disaster Preparedness Indicators |
1 | Willingness to take a DRR course |
2 | Confidence to assist with disaster management during emergency |
3 | Confidence in providing basic first aid |
4 | Curriculum includes psychological first- aid training |
5 | University has enough first-aid boxes |
6 | Importance of local communities to help university |
7 | Impact of severe natural disaster on student’s life |
8 | Students’ responsibility for their own safety |
9 | Friends’ responsibility for students’ safety |
10 | Parents’ responsibility for students’ safety |
11 | University’s responsibility for students’ safety |
12 | Government agencies’ responsibility for students’ safety |
13 | University emergency procedure awareness |
14 | Emergency communication system awareness during emergency |
15 | Curriculum includes knowledge of disaster medicine |
16 | Student guardian’s presence during disaster education |
17 | University buildings have disaster shelters |
18 | Importance of Local community’s role on helping university to implement DRR courses |
19 | Mandatory DRR education |
20 | Likelihood of giving a test on DRR education |
21 | Open to collaboration of university while handling disasters |
22 | University has online database regarding disaster preparedness |
23 | Disaster related courses taken Pre-University |
24 | Frequency of disaster drills practiced at university |
Demographic Characteristics | # | % | |
---|---|---|---|
Gender | Male | 87 | 78% |
Female | 24 | 22% | |
Ethnicity | African American | 7 | 6% |
Asian | 68 | 61% | |
Hispanic | 13 | 12% | |
Other | 23 | 21% | |
Levels of education | Undergraduate | 39 | 35% |
Graduate | 72 | 65% | |
Area of living | Off-Campus | 78 | 70% |
On-Campus | 33 | 30% | |
Age | Under 25 Years Old | 68 | 61% |
Above 25 Years Old | 43 | 39% | |
Annual family income | Less than $15,000 | 16 | 15% |
Less than $30,000 | 42 | 38% | |
$30,000 to $60,000 | 17 | 15% | |
$60,000 to $100,000 | 28 | 25% | |
More than $100,000 | 8 | 7% | |
Involvement in number of disasters | 0–1 | 70 | 63% |
1–2 | 13 | 12% | |
2–3 | 17 | 15% | |
3–4 | 3 | 3% | |
4–5 | 2 | 2% | |
More than 5 | 6 | 5% | |
Involvement in types of disasters (More than one response) | Tsunami | 3 | 3% |
Hurricane | 5 | 5% | |
Tornadoes | 14 | 13% | |
Flooding | 22 | 20% | |
Thunderstorm | 25 | 23% | |
Earthquakes | 28 | 25% | |
None | 50 | 45% |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Total (100%) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Myself | 3 (3%) | 1 (1%) | 3 (3%) | 4 (4%) | 15 (14%) | 8 (7%) | 75 (69%) | 109 |
Friends | 10 (9%) | 7 (6%) | 14 (13%) | 17 (15%) | 24 (22%) | 22 (20%) | 16 (15%) | 110 |
Parents | 12 (11%) | 10 (9%) | 6 (6%) | 13 (12%) | 19 (18%) | 15 (14%) | 33 (31%) | 108 |
University | 5 (5%) | 1 (1%) | 6 (5%) | 20 (18%) | 24 (22%) | 24 (22%) | 30 (27%) | 110 |
Government Agencies | 4 (4%) | 4 (4%) | 8 (7%) | 14 (13%) | 15 (14%) | 23 (21%) | 39 (36%) | 107 |
Component Name | # | Disaster Preparedness Indicators | Factor Loadings |
---|---|---|---|
Govt/Uni Responsibility | 11 | University responsibility | 0.881 |
12 | Government agencies’ responsibility | 0.894 | |
Emergency Procedures | 13 | University emergency procedures | 0.918 |
14 | Emergency communication system | 0.927 | |
University Curriculum | 4 | Curriculum includes first-aid training | 0.683 |
15 | Curriculum includes disaster medicine | 0.782 | |
16 | Student guardian’s presence during disaster education | 0.815 | |
DRR Adoption | 1 | Willingness to take DRR course | 0.791 |
20 | Test on DRR education | 0.791 | |
Disaster Preparedness | 23 | Disaster-related courses taken pre-university | 0.725 |
24 | Frequency of disaster drills practiced at university | 0.725 | |
Disaster Awareness | 22 | University has online database regarding disaster preparedness | 0.726 |
17 | University buildings have disaster shelters | −0.605 | |
21 | Open to collaboration of university while handling disasters | 0.688 |
Critical Components | Sociodemographic | Estimate | p-Value | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Govt/Uni Responsibility | ← | Female | 0.475 | 0.022 * |
Emergency Procedures | ← | Female | −0.098 | 0.647 |
University Curriculum | ← | Female | −0.400 | 0.059 ** |
Govt/Uni Responsibility | ← | Living on-campus | 0.096 | 0.304 |
Emergency Procedures | ← | Living on-campus | −0.095 | 0.328 |
University Curriculum | ← | Living on-campus | 0.070 | 0.464 |
DRR Adoption | ← | Living on-campus | 0.181 | 0.073 ** |
DRR Adoption | ← | Female | −0.126 | 0.573 |
Govt/Uni Responsibility | ← | Race (Asian) | 0.282 | 0.119 |
Emergency Procedures | ← | Race (Asian) | −0.161 | 0.390 |
University Curriculum | ← | Race (Asian) | 0.560 | 0.002 * |
DRR Adoption | ← | Race (Asian) | 0.055 | 0.779 |
Emergency Procedures | ← | Education (graduate) | 0.608 | 0.001 * |
Govt/Uni Responsibility | ← | Education (graduate) | 0.278 | 0.120 |
DRR Adoption | ← | Education (graduate) | −0.066 | 0.731 |
University Curriculum | ← | Education (graduate) | −0.026 | 0.886 |
Disaster Preparedness | ← | Govt/Uni Responsibility | 0.139 | 0.096 ** |
Disaster Awareness | ← | University Curriculum | 0.490 | 0.000 * |
Disaster Awareness | ← | DRR adoption | 0.162 | 0.045 * |
Disaster Preparedness | ← | Emergency Procedures | 0.178 | 0.027 * |
Model fit | χ2/df < 5 | RMSEA < 0.1 | CFI > 0.95 | |
χ2/df = 1.9 | RMSEA = 0.09 | CFI = 0.99 |
Sociodemographic | Indirect Effects on Disaster Awareness | Indirect Effects on Disaster Preparedness |
Female | −0.211 | 0.440 |
Area of living (on-campus) | −0.006 | −0.007 |
Race (Asian) | −0.338 | 0.022 |
Education (graduate) | 0.060 | 0.062 |
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Patel, R.K.; Pamidimukkala, A.; Kermanshachi, S.; Etminani-Ghasrodashti, R. Disaster Preparedness and Awareness among University Students: A Structural Equation Analysis. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 4447. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054447
Patel RK, Pamidimukkala A, Kermanshachi S, Etminani-Ghasrodashti R. Disaster Preparedness and Awareness among University Students: A Structural Equation Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(5):4447. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054447
Chicago/Turabian StylePatel, Ronik Ketankumar, Apurva Pamidimukkala, Sharareh Kermanshachi, and Roya Etminani-Ghasrodashti. 2023. "Disaster Preparedness and Awareness among University Students: A Structural Equation Analysis" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 5: 4447. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054447
APA StylePatel, R. K., Pamidimukkala, A., Kermanshachi, S., & Etminani-Ghasrodashti, R. (2023). Disaster Preparedness and Awareness among University Students: A Structural Equation Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5), 4447. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054447