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Salient Public Beliefs Underlying Disaster Preparedness Behaviors: A Theory-Based Qualitative Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2017

Mehdi Najafi ,
Ali Ardalan ,
Ali Akbarisari ,
Ahmad Ali Noorbala  and
Helen Elmi
Mehdi Najafi*
Affiliation:
Department of Disaster and Emergency Health, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Ali Ardalan
Affiliation:
Department of Disaster and Emergency Health, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, MassachusettsUSA
Ali Akbarisari
Affiliation:
Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Ahmad Ali Noorbala
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Helen Elmi
Affiliation:
Consultant Psychologist, Azad University, Tehran, Iran
*
Correspondence: Mehdi Najafi, MD, MPH, PhD Department of Disaster and Emergency Health School of Public Health Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran, Iran E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Introduction

Given the increasing importance of disaster preparedness in Tehran, the capital of Iran, interventions encouraging disaster preparedness behavior (DPB) are needed. This study was conducted to show how an elicitation method can be used to identify salient consequences, referents, and circumstances about DPB and provide recommendations for interventions and quantitative research.

Method

A theory-based qualitative study using a semi-structured elicitation questionnaire was conducted with 132 heads of households from 22 districts in Tehran, Iran. Following the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), six open-ended questions were used to record the opinion of people about DPB: advantages of engaging in DPB; disadvantages of doing so; people who approve; people who disapprove; things that make it easy; and things that make it difficult. Content analysis showed the categories of salient consequences, reference groups, and circumstances.

Results

The three most frequently mentioned advantages obtained from inhabitants of Tehran were health outcomes (eg, it helps us to save our lives, it provides basic needs, and it protects us until relief workers arrive); other salient advantages were mentioned (eg, helps family reunification). The main disadvantage was preparedness anxiety. Family members were the most frequently mentioned social referent when people were asked who might approve or disapprove of their DPB. The two main circumstances perceived to obstruct DPB included not having enough knowledge or enough time.

Conclusion

The results of this qualitative study suggest that interventions to encourage DPB among Tehran inhabitants should address: perceived consequences of DPB on health and other factors beyond health; barriers of not having enough knowledge and time perceived to hinder DPB; and social approval. More accurate research on salient beliefs with close-ended items developed from these open-ended data and with larger sample sizes of Tehran inhabitants is necessary. Research with other stakeholder groups is needed to understand their perceptions about DPB in creating the people’s social environment.

NajafiM, ArdalanA, AkbarisariA, NoorbalaAA, ElmiH. Salient Public Beliefs Underlying Disaster Preparedness Behaviors: A Theory-Based Qualitative Study. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(2):124–133.

Keywords

beliefsdisasterpreparedness behaviors
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 32 , Issue 2 , April 2017 , pp. 124 - 133
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2017 

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Footnotes

Conflicts of interest: none

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