Preliminary Findings on Urban Disaster Risk Literacy and Preparedness in a Chinese Community

Background: Disaster risk literacy refers to the ability to identify, understand, interpret and communicate disaster risk-related information. Whilst literature review indicates that health literacy is directly associated with health outcomes, there is currently a literature gap on the predictors of disaster health risk literacy and how risk literacy might be associated with the uptake of first aid trainings for better community disaster preparedness. Targeting at Hong Kong urban population, main study objective include to: i) assess the disaster risk literacy; ii) examine prevalence and characteristics of first-aid training (physical and mental); iii) evaluate perceived needs for first-aid training; v) explore the relationship among disaster risk literacy, self-perceived disaster preparedness and first-aid training.

Study Design and Methods: A cross-sectional, population, last birthday method based telephone survey was conducted among non-institutional Cantonese-speaking population aged over 15 years old in Hong Kong. The survey collected information on: i) Demographic (including age, gender, occupation and employment status, education attainment, marital status); ii) Perceived risk of natural and man made disasters; iii) Community disaster related information enquiry methods; iv) Perceived need of physical and mental first-aid training; v) Experience and characteristics of the first-aid training ever received; vi) Perceived self-efficacy to response to health risk of disasters. Descriptive analysis on level of disaster preparedness and prevalence of first aid training will be conducted. Socioeconomic predictors of risk literacy, disaster preparedness, expected and actual use of first aid skills will be identified through univariate and multivariate analysis will be conducted.

Outcome and Policy Implications: Major findings include an overview of community disaster risk literacy, the  prevalence and predictors of first-aid trainings as well as the actual and expected utilisation of first-aid skills. Community needs and gaps in disaster risk literacy and preparedness in health sector will also be identified.