Disaster Preparedness and Awareness among University Students: A Structural Equation Analysis

Abstract

Students have long been among those most emotionally and physically affected by natural or manmade disasters, yet universities and colleges continue to lack effective disaster response and mitigation practices. This research identifies how students’ socio-demographics and disaster preparedness indicators (DPIs) impact their awareness of the dangers of disasters and their ability to survive and cope with the changes that disasters bring. A comprehensive survey was designed and distributed to university students to gain an in-depth understanding of their perceptions of disaster risk reduction factors. A total of 111 responses were received, and the impact of the socio-demographics and DPIs on the students’ disaster awareness and preparedness were evaluated by employing structural equation modeling. The results indicate that the university curriculum impacts the disaster awareness of students while the establishment of university emergency procedures impacts the disaster preparedness of students. The purpose of this research is to enable university stakeholders to identify the DPIs that are important to the students so that they can upgrade their programs and design effective DRR courses. It will also aid policymakers in redesigning effective emergency preparedness policies and procedures.

College Students and Environmental Disasters: A Review of the Literature

“…Our qualitative analysis identified three themes within the reviewed publications: college students' disaster literacy and preparedness, enhancing disaster education for students, and disaster impacts on college students' health, well-being, and education. Several studies examined students' disaster literacy and preparedness (Aksa et al 2020;Bhat et al 2017;Contreras 2014;Mızrak and Aslan 2020;Hasan et al 2022;Kılıç and Şimşek 2019;Patel et al 2020;Patel et al 2023;Piotrowski 2015;Sözen 2019;Zhang et al 2021). Many of these studies found that oftentimes, college students are ill-prepared for disasters and may not have the disaster literacy capacities to properly understand how to prepare.…”

“…By integrating disaster risk management into curricula, educational programs prepare students to strengthen their values, sense of citizenship, and social sensitivity. As another example, Patel et al (2023) highlighted the influence of the university curriculum and emergency procedures on students' disaster awareness and preparedness, calling for enhanced programs and effective disaster risk reduction courses. Their study findings reveal that the university curriculum significantly impacts students' disaster awareness, while the establishment of university emergency procedures significantly affects students' disaster preparedness.…”

Disaster Management for People with Communication Disorders: Lessons Learned from the 2023 Earthquakes in Türkiye

“…Preparedness made before disasters significantly affects the effectiveness of the response and recovery phases (Patel et al, 2023). Kurt et al (2021) conducted a comprehensive study to determine whether individuals with special needs in Türkiye are prepared for earthquakes and their needs related to earthquake preparedness.…”

Criteria for and Policy Implications of Setting Recovery Priorities of National Functions during Disruptions by Disasters

“…One study identified functions such as governance, resources, risk reduction, funding acquisition, and time compression for the effective analysis of long-term housing recovery frameworks [20]. Another study derived 24 Disaster Preparedness Indicators and conducted a survey analysis of disaster preparedness awareness among university students [21]. Similarly, a survey-based study elucidated the functions affecting disaster resilience in the wake of storms and analysed their relative criticalities [22].…”