Changes in Self-Reported Household Preparedness Levels among a Rural Population after Exposure to Emergency Preparedness Campaign Materials
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to ascertain the self-reported preparedness levels of a rural population in the US before and after an exposure to preparedness education materials from the Ready Campaign and the Texas “Ready or Not?” Campaign.
Design and Methods: A before-and-after design was used for the study of people who attended a Medical Outreach held in rural east Texas.
Results: Participants were significantly more prepared for an emergency after the educational program (M=17.1; SD=6.43) than before the educational program (M=13.21; SD=6.33; t(41)=–4.28; p<0.001; 95% CI [–5.74 to –2.06]; ES r=0.57).
Conclusions: Increases in the incidences of disasters have significantly affected the attention given disaster planning and preparedness measures, yet preparedness efforts in the US have not achieved preparedness goals. It is vital that emergency preparedness education measures be assessed for effectiveness so that evidence-based approaches to conducting them can be utilized. The improvement in preparedness among participants supports providing preparedness education at public health events similar to the one in East Texas.
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©2016 by De Gruyter
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Retraction
- Publisher Retraction of: Transforming the UK Home Office into a Department for Homeland Security: Reflecting on an Interview with a Litigant Defending Against Online Retaliatory Feedback in the US
- Research Articles
- Deliberative Risk Ranking to Inform Homeland Security Strategic Planning
- Population as a Proxy for Infrastructure in the Determination of Event Response and Recovery Resource Allocations
- Opportunities and Constraints to Rural HAZMAT Risk Reduction
- Cyber Defense as a part of Hazard Mitigation: Comparing High Hazard Potential Dam Safety Programs in the United States and Sweden
- Assessing Risk Following a Wireless Emergency Alert: Are 90 Characters Enough?
- Changes in Self-Reported Household Preparedness Levels among a Rural Population after Exposure to Emergency Preparedness Campaign Materials
- The Self-Organization of Digital Volunteers across Social Media: The Case of the 2013 European Floods in Germany
- Fire Department Turnout Times: A Contextual Analysis
- ‘Set Adrift’: Fatalism as Organizational Culture at Canadian Seaports
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Retraction
- Publisher Retraction of: Transforming the UK Home Office into a Department for Homeland Security: Reflecting on an Interview with a Litigant Defending Against Online Retaliatory Feedback in the US
- Research Articles
- Deliberative Risk Ranking to Inform Homeland Security Strategic Planning
- Population as a Proxy for Infrastructure in the Determination of Event Response and Recovery Resource Allocations
- Opportunities and Constraints to Rural HAZMAT Risk Reduction
- Cyber Defense as a part of Hazard Mitigation: Comparing High Hazard Potential Dam Safety Programs in the United States and Sweden
- Assessing Risk Following a Wireless Emergency Alert: Are 90 Characters Enough?
- Changes in Self-Reported Household Preparedness Levels among a Rural Population after Exposure to Emergency Preparedness Campaign Materials
- The Self-Organization of Digital Volunteers across Social Media: The Case of the 2013 European Floods in Germany
- Fire Department Turnout Times: A Contextual Analysis
- ‘Set Adrift’: Fatalism as Organizational Culture at Canadian Seaports