Associating Factors With Public Preparedness Behavior Against Earthquake: A Review of Iranian Research Literature

Abstract

Local preparedness against earthquakes has been recently highlighted in research and policies on disaster management and risk reduction promotion in Iran. To advance the understanding of public preparedness and how it can be applied in diverse localities, further information is required about the predictors of people's adoption of mitigation activities and earthquake preparedness. A synthesis of the available published research results on earthquake preparedness and the influencing factors in Iran are presented in this literature review. It emphasizes the complexity of both the concept of preparedness and the contextual factors that mediate its adoption. The predominant roles of public awareness, trusted information resources, social capital and community collaboration as predictors are discussed.

The viewpoints of residents of Kerman, Iran regarding the challenges and barriers of preparing households against earthquakes: A theory-guided qualitative content analysis

“…In Najafi et al's study (2018), which interviewed 132 heads of households living in Tehran, lack of knowledge and insufficient time were identified as the most important barriers to earthquake preparedness ( 18 ). A review study showed that Iranians with a higher knowledge level had a better performance in preparing for an earthquake ( 23 ). In Appleby et al's study in Romania and Malta (2021), most participants were unaware of disaster preparedness guidelines, and those with more knowledge reported greater preparedness ( 24 ).…”

“…Studies have shown that the higher a person's self-efficacy is, the more intention there is for preventive measures and preparedness against disasters. In a review conducted by Ranjbar et al, Iranians who had more self-efficacy reported more earthquake preparedness behaviors ( 23 ). In Ning et al's study in China (2021), people with higher self-efficacy had more emergency preparedness behavior ( 8 ).…”

Public Intention to Prepare for Earthquakes: Psychometric Prop-erties of Persian Version

“…Despite the efforts to public disaster education and a generally good level of risk perception among Tehran citizens (75%>Median score) ( 15 ), the majority are not prepared for the probable earthquake yet ( 10 , 15 – 17 ). The governmental and local attempts to enhance earthquake preparation in general, were not capable of facilitating sufficient public preparedness ( 18 ). This highlights the need for a better understanding of the factors influencing on high-risk communities preparedness ( 10 , 19 ).…”