Earthquake Preparedness of Households and Its Predictors Based on Health Belief Model

Abstract

Background : Earthquakes are one of the most destructive natural disasters in which many people are injured, disabled, or died. Although Iran has only one percent of the world's population, its earthquake-related deaths are six percent. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the level of earthquake preparedness of households and its predictors using the Health Belief Model (HBM) . Methods : This observational descriptive and analytical study was conducted on 933 households in Hamadan province, located in the west of Iran, in 2019. Multistage random cluster sampling was used for selecting the participants. The inclusion criteria were being at least 18 years old and being able to answer the questions. A questionnaire was used for data collection including earthquake preparedness, awareness of earthquake response, predictors of earthquake preparedness based on the HBM, and demographic information. Analysis of variance, independent t-test, and a linear regression model was used . Results : The mean age of participants was approximately 38.29 ±12.80 years. Furthermore, 60.83% of the participants did not complete a post-secondary education. The earthquake preparedness was low (approximately 30%) among households. There was a significant relationship between earthquake preparedness and gender, homeownership, marriage status, and previous earthquake experience (P <0.001). Regarding the HBM constructs, perceived benefits, cues to action, and self-efficacy were significant predictors of earthquake preparedness (P <0.01). conclusions: Earthquake preparedness was insufficient. Besides, perceived benefits, cues to action, and self-efficacy were predictors of earthquake preparedness. It is suggested that health providers take into account these predictors for designing future interventions. Keywords : Crises, Hazards, Health promotion, Health education, Natural disasters, Safety