Examining Individual and Environmental Factors Associated with Emergency Preparedness Among People with Disabilities in China
<i>Background</i>: People with disabilities, particularly those from developing countries, often fare worse during disasters, pandemics, and other emergencies. China is located in the most disaster-prone region in the world. However, no study has examined emergency evacuation planning am...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Disabilities |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7272/5/2/46 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | <i>Background</i>: People with disabilities, particularly those from developing countries, often fare worse during disasters, pandemics, and other emergencies. China is located in the most disaster-prone region in the world. However, no study has examined emergency evacuation planning among people with disabilities in China. The latest literature on emergency preparedness tends to focus on individual-level factors such as demographic characteristics, self-efficacy, and disability status. A focus on individual-level factors overlooks the importance of environmental influences on disaster preparation. <i>Objective</i>: This paper explores how individual and environmental factors are associated with emergency preparedness among people with disabilities in China. <i>Methods</i>: Two hundred and forty-eight people with various disabilities filled out an online cross-sectional survey on the level of emergency preparedness among people with disabilities in China. We conducted a hierarchical logistic regression to examine which environmental-level factors are associated with emergency preparedness after controlling for individual-level factors. <i>Results</i>: The results show that when entering only individual-level factors, self-efficacy in evacuation and previous emergency experiences are significant factors associated with being prepared. After including the environmental-level factors, self-efficacy remains significant. People with a physical disability and those from Hubei province, when compared with respondents from the rest of China, are less likely to be prepared. Another protective factor other than self-efficacy is being part of an online disability peer-support group. <i>Conclusions</i>: When designing risk management interventions, public health officials should consider both individual- and environmental-level factors. Using an online peer-support community may be considered an innovative component when designing these interventions. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2673-7272 |