No abstract

Communities living near active volcanoes may be exposed to respiratory hazards from volcanic ash. Understanding their perception of the risks and the actions they take to mitigate against those risks is important for developing effective communication strategies. To investigate this issue, the first comparative study of risk perceptions and use of respiratory protection was conducted on 2003 residents affected by active volcanoes from three countries: Japan (Sakurajima volcano), Indonesia (Merapi and Kelud volcanoes) and Mexico (Popocatépetl volcano). The study was designed to test the explanatory value of a theoretical framework which hypothesized that use of respiratory protection (i.e., facemask) would be motivated by two cognitive constructs from protection motivation theory: threat appraisal (i.e., perceptions of harm/ worry about ash inhalation) and coping appraisal (i.e., beliefs about mask efficacy). Using structural equation modelling (SEM), important differences in the predictive ability of the constructs were found between countries. For example, perceptions of harm/ worry were stronger predictors of mask use in Japan and Indonesia than they were in Mexico where beliefs about mask efficacy were more important. The SEM also identified differences in the demographic variants of mask use in each country and how they were mediated by the cognitive constructs. Findings such as these highlight the importance of contextualising our understanding of protection motivation and, thus, the value of developing targeted approaches to promote precautionary behaviour.

Inhalation of ash can be of great concern for affected communities, during and after volcanic eruptions. Governmental and humanitarian agencies recommend and distribute a variety of respiratory protection (RP), commonly surgical masks but, also, industry-certified N95-style masks. However, there is currently no evidence on how wearable they are within affected populations or how protective wearers perceive them being against volcanic ash (which will influence the likelihood of uptake of recommended interventions). Volunteers living near Mt. Sinabung, Sumatra, Indonesia, participated in a field wearability study, which included a high-efficiency mask certified to industry standards (N95-equiv.); a standard, pleated surgical mask (Surgical); a Basic flat-fold mask (Flat-fold), and the surgical mask plus a scarf tied over the top (Surgical Plus) to improve fit. These types of RP had all performed well during earlier laboratory filtration efficiency tests. The N95-equiv. mask had performed significantly better than the other RP in the subsequent total inward leakage volunteer trials, whilst the Flat-fold and Surgical masks performed poorly, letting in a third of PM2.5 particles (data published elsewhere). Thirty volunteers wore each mask for a 15-min walk before being asked to rate the comfort, breathability and perceived protection and fit of each. After wearing all of the masks, volunteers compared and identified their preferred type of protection. The feedback received from the volunteers suggested that the Surgical Plus and N95-equiv. masks were rated as being significantly hotter and more humid than other masks. The Flat-fold was rated to have better breathability than the other masks. The N95-equiv. mask was ranked as providing the best level of effectiveness of the four masks tested. Ultimately, when asked which type of mask they would choose to wear during ashfall, 33% selected the Flat-fold mask due to its comfort and simplicity, with the Surgical Plus being the least likely to be chosen of the four tested. The study findings are of benefit to agencies who need to make informed decisions on the procurement and distribution of RP for use by those affected in future eruptions and the provision of advice to communities on their usage.

Gunung Merapi (Mountain of Fire) is the guardian of a cosmogonicsacred landscape, and one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. Its eruptions are well studied, however, the relationships among ritual, science, protection and grassroots disaster management arising after the 2006 and 2010 eruptions are mostly overlooked. This paper fills this gap in the literature, through qualitative research that explores local perceptions and places respiratory protection in a larger ecology of protective practices during, and after, volcanic crises. In a previous study, 99% of respondents in Yogyakarta used masks to protect from inhaling volcanic ash. In order to understand the respiratory protective practices developed, in the last decade, to cope with Merapi's eruptions, we need to engage with the emergence of the local volunteer-led grassroots monitoring systems. Although these networks were formalised by agencies, they were originally setup in a bottom-up fashion to respond to pyroclastic flows and other life-threatening volcanic hazards. Our research found that they play a key role in the distribution of masks and respiratory health narratives, thus influencing the wide adoption of certain types of respiratory protection. Disaster management agencies, village heads, ritual experts and volunteers participating in these monitoring networks share spiritual signals (dreams) and scientific ones (seismic data, health narratives) and masks as part of their response to volcanic crises. Our findings about these Merapi networks challenge dominant assumptions in the Disaster Risk Reduction literature that tend to equate building resilience with the substitution of problematic 'cultural beliefs' for 'scientific facts'.

Abstract. Malnutrition is the most common problem in coastal areas among other areas in the city of Serang. The focus of this study is discussing the malnutrition of children under-fives in fishing families and their causes as well as the role of community assistant for families of fishermen who have children under-five with malnutrition status, where the majority of them are fishing laborers living in poverty. This research uses a qualitative approach with a descriptive type. Collecting data employs in-depth interviews, observation and documentation studies. The results of this research show that fishermen’s family income is low, their level of education and understanding of nutrition are low, so they are unable to meet their nutritional needs ideally. Cultural factors and local habits greatly affect their attitudes in meeting the needs of daily life, in terms of nutrition they believe that fish and eggs consumed by children under-five will adversely affect their health and skin. In addition there is still an understanding that fathers must be given the highest priority in any case, including in terms of eating compared to other family members. The findings show that they live in  dirty living environment with poor sanitation and inadequate clean water sources. Furthermore, this research study finds that the community assistants, including Social Worker, have not played their role adequately. The most striking obstacles faced are economic factors, accessibility and knowledge as well as lack of awareness from families in overcoming the problem of malnutrition in children under five in fishing families Abstrak. Masalah malnutrisi terbanyak terdapat di wilayah pesisir di antara wilayah lain di kota Serang. Fokus dari penelitian ini membahas tentang malnutrisi balita dalam keluarga nelayan dan penyebabnya serta peran pendamping bagi keluarga nelayan yang memiliki balita dengan status malnutrisi, di mana mayoritas mereka adalah buruh nelayan yang hidup dalam kemiskinan. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan jenis deskriptif. Pengumpulan datanya menggunakan wawancara mendalam, observasi dan studi dokumentasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pendapatan keluarga nelayan rendah, tingkat pendidikan dan pemahaman akan gizi kurang sehingga mereka tidak mampu untuk memenuhi kebutuhan gizi secara ideal. Faktor budaya dan kebiasaan setempat sangat mempengaruhi sikap mereka dalam memenuhi kebutuhan hidup sehari hari, dalam hal gizi mereka berkeyakinan bahwa ikan dan telur apabila dikonsumsi oleh balita akan berdampak buruk pada kesehatan dan kulit mereka. Selain itu, masih ada pemahaman bahwa ayah harus diutamakan dalam hal apapun termasuk dalam hal makan dibandingkan anggota keluarga lainnya. Berdasarkan penelitian, terlihat lingkungan tempat tinggal mereka sangat kotor dengan sanitasi yang buruk serta sumber air bersih yang cukup sulit. Lebih jauh terungkap bahwa peran pendamping masyarakat, termasuk Pekerja Sosial, masih relatif belum cukup memadai. Hambatan yang dihadapi yang paling menonjol adalah faktor ekonomi, aksesibilitas dan pengetahuan gizi serta kurangnya kesadaran dari keluarga dalam mengatasi masalah malnutrisi pada anak balita dalam keluarga nelayan.