Race and Income Disparities in Disaster Preparedness in Old Age

Objective: Older adults are one of the most vulnerable populations impacted by disasters and communities continue to struggle addressing preparedness. This study investigated to what extent income status and race/ethnicity in old age interplayed with disaster preparedness. Methods: Data came from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel survey of older Americans over 51 years old. Our sample was restricted to respondents who participated in a special survey about disaster preparedness (N=1,705). Disaster preparedness was measured as a score, which includes 13 variables related to personal, household, program, and medical preparedness. Race/ethnicity was categorized by White, Black, and Hispanic. Low income was defined as below 300% of the federal poverty line. OLS regression was used to examine the main and interaction effects of race/ethnicity and lower income status on disaster preparedness scores. Results: We found that older adults in lower income status had lower preparedness level than those in higher income (Coef.=-0.318, p\u3c.01). Hispanics tend to be less prepared compared to White and African Americans (Coef.=--0.548, p\u3c.001). Preparedness of Black elders was not significantly different from that of Whites. However, interestingly, Black elders in lower income status were significantly less prepared for disaster than other groups (Coef.=-0.520, p\u3c.05). We did not find significant interaction effects between Hispanic and lower income status on disaster preparedness. Discussion. This study identified vulnerable subgroups of older adults for disaster preparedness and suggests that preparedness programs should target minority and low income elders, particularly Hispanics and low income Black elders

Evaluation of a School Based Disaster Preparedness Program

This study evaluated a school based intervention designed to better prepare teachers and staff members in an elementary school to improve their knowledge and confidence of disaster preparedness. Participants included 19 teachers and I 0 staff members of an elementary school in San Mateo County, CA. With hundreds of schools scattered in the communities and the recent disasters in our country there is a growing awareness of the need for disaster preparedness in schools. A pretest-posttest was administered to measure changes in knowledge and confidence following a school based intervention of disaster preparedness education. There was a significant improvement in scores that appeared in the paired t tests which demonstrated that the school based disaster preparedness intervention increased their knowledge and confidence. This school based intervention provides a framework for other school nurses to implement similar interventions that address the disaster preparedness needs of the school, staff and student\u27s safety

Emergency preparedness and response in New Zealand schools : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Emergency Management at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

International disaster risk reduction efforts prioritise school safety. Providing a safe learning environment for students and ensuring their continued access to education after an emergency has a positive influence on student, family, and community resilience. Existing school-based emergency management literature is limited. The project aimed to investigate current emergency preparedness and response activities in New Zealand schools, and identify key practices that support efforts to keep students safe during emergencies. A multiphase mixed methods research design, underpinned by a pragmatic philosophical approach, was employed to conduct three separate but linked studies that investigated: Emergency preparedness in schools (Study 1); Emergency management requirements and expectations of schools (Study 2); and Emergency response in schools (Study 3). Study 1 employed a survey to collect quantitative (n=355) and qualitative (n=514) data from schools throughout New Zealand about their experiences participating in the nationwide 2012 New Zealand ShakeOut earthquake drill, and the types of emergency preparedness activities undertaken. Findings identified lessons learned, and presented ways in which drills can be linked to other aspects of school preparedness. Schools were also found to undertake a range of preparedness activities (e.g., develop emergency plans, conduct frequent drills, and provide students with hazards education). However, differences in preparedness levels were identified, suggesting that some schools may be under-prepared to keep students safe in emergencies. A lack of clarity in the legislative requirements for school-based emergency management was proposed as a possible reason for differences in preparedness. Study 2 combined interviews of three emergency management practitioners with a review of New Zealand legislation, policy, and guidelines to identify the preparedness activities New Zealand schools are required to undertake to ensure the safety of the students in their care. The legislation was found to be generic, at times ambiguous, and schools were not provided with clear guidance. As a result, it was recommended that preparedness benchmarks be established and that standard operating procedures for core emergency response actions (i.e., shelter-in-place, lockdown, building evacuation, relocation, and family reunification) be developed to provide a consistent approach to school-based preparedness efforts. Studies 1 and 2 discussed emergency preparedness in New Zealand schools. However, there remained a need to investigate the link between preparing for and responding to emergencies by investigating how schools responded to real emergency events. Study 3 used three case studies to explore how three schools responded in a range of emergency events. Findings included the identification of generic, recurring response activities across a selection of emergency types, which were used to develop a six-stage school-based emergency response model. The lessons learned from participant’s first hand experiences of various emergency events enabled the identification of factors that contribute to an effective emergency response, including activities undertaken before, during, and after an emergency. Research exploring emergency management in New Zealand schools is still in its infancy. This project has contributed significant knowledge to understanding how New Zealand schools prepare for and respond to emergencies to keep their students safe. Findings from the research may also have relevance for an international audience

Preparedness to teach : the perceptions of Saudi female pre-service mathematics teachers : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Being well prepared and experiencing a sense of preparedness for teaching is a key learning outcome of any initial teacher education (ITE) program. In order to understand more about the nature, development, and sufficiency of mathematics teacher readiness to teach, this study explores the phenomenon of preparedness. The aim of this study was to investigate how well Saudi pre-service teachers (PSTs) feel prepared to teach mathematics at secondary or middle schools (i.e. to explore their sense of preparedness to teach), delving into the nature and origins of that sense. The participants in the study were a sample of female mathematics PSTs (N=105), who were near the end of their teaching methods course in the final year of their 4-year education degree. The construct of preparedness was operationalized through a survey of PSTs’ efficacy to teach mathematics and an interview-based exploration of the factors influencing these perceptions. The data were collected over 4 months from 2015 to 2016. The quantitative data were analysed in SPSS and thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. The key findings of this study indicated that for the PSTs, being prepared to teach means having teaching efficacy, good knowledge for teaching, a sense of preparedness, and professionalism. However, PSTs are not fully aware of all the kinds of knowledge needed for being prepared. The study showed that PSTs were generally confident that they were sufficiently prepared to teach. They felt most confident in the areas of content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical knowledge (PK) rather than pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The findings showed that the PSTs felt inadequately prepared in some aspects of their teaching roles, and needed more support and guidance from their university–school communities. The majority felt that classroom and behaviour management was the aspect in which they felt least prepared. They also expressed only a moderate level of general teaching efficacy (GTE), expressing a lower sense of efficacy relating directly to supporting students as learners. These were related to the disjunction between theory and practice that resulted from the two most influential factors shaping PSTs’ sense of preparedness and feelings of efficacy: the practicum experience and the ITE. Although these factors had positive impacts on their perceptions, they also expressed how the classroom environment, challenges, and school culture encountered during the practicum had lowered the PSTs’ sense of preparedness and teaching efficacy. Indeed, half of the PSTs felt that the school was neither sufficiently prepared nor sufficiently resourced to support PSTs learning the work of teaching. The challenge of closing the gap between theory and practice has led to PSTs’ desire to have more time in the mathematics methods course, as well as extra time in the practicum. It is hoped that the findings from this study concerning PSTs’ current perceptions about preparedness, combined with the suggestions for improving their levels of preparedness, will contribute to improvements in ITE and teaching quality in Saudi Arabia

Emergency Preparedness Among Older Adults in Issaquah, Washington

Presented to the Faculty Of the University of Alaska Anchorage In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTHUsing the Health Belief Model, this project practicum explored emergency preparedness through interviews with fourteen study participants sixty-five years old or older and three key informants. The goals of this project practicum were to understand the potential needs of adults sixty-five years old and older in an emergency or disaster and to improve the effectiveness of emergency outreach education and messaging. Prior storm experience and reported time living in Issaquah appeared to influence preparedness activity among study participants. Exposure to media and emergency preparedness messaging appeared to have a lesser effect on emergency preparedness activity. Project practicum results suggest that help from neighbors, friends, and family may be the best way to keep vulnerable older adults safe in an emergency or disaster. Thus, these neighbors, friends, and family need to know about emergency preparedness even though it seems to be less effective than life experience. The City of Issaquah appears to be on the right track educating people with its Map Your Neighborhood, Citizen Emergency Response Team training program, and its emergency preparedness booths at community events.Signature Page / Title Page / Abstract / Table of Contents / List of Figures and Appendices / Acknowledgements / Chapter 1: Background and Review of Literature / Chapter 2: Goals and Objectives / Chapter 3: Methods and Analysis / Chapter 4: Results / Chapter 5: Discussion / Chapter 6: Public Health Implications and Recommendations / References / Appendice

Atropine Use in Children After Nerve Gas Exposure

Following the FDA's approval of a pediatric dosage Atropen®, the Pediatric Expert Advisory Panel was asked to review the existing guidelines and recommendations regarding the treatment of children exposed to nerve agents and the Mark-1 Kit; review the new literature on pediatric nerve agent exposure; and to develop recommendations and guidelines for this new device including modifications to the existing recommendations and guidelines if warranted. In May 2003, the first nationally accepted pediatric disaster and terrorism preparedness recommendations and treatment guidelines were issued by the Program for Pediatric Preparedness of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP). These guidelines were based on a National Consensus Conference sponsored by the Program for Pediatric Preparedness and funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the EMS for Children Program of the Health Resources and Services Administration. At that time, the only available treatment for certain types of nerve gas exposure (predominantly those with anticholinesterase properties) was the Mark 1 kit. The recommendations were based on established usage of antidotes for cholinergic toxicity and were felt to be both safe and supported by the literature. It was stated that the Mark 1 Autoinjector kits (although not approved for pediatric use) should be used as initial treatment for children with severe, life-threatening nerve agent toxicity for whom IV treatment is not possible or available, or for whom more precise IM (mg/kg) dosing would be logistically impossible. It was further felt that while not within the published dosage range for cholinergic toxicity, if a Mark 1 kit was the only source of atropine and pralidoxime available after a bona fide exposure it should be used to treat all children, even those younger than 3 years old. Furthermore, it was felt to be imperative to expedite approval of the pediatric autoinjector kit (which contains both atropine and an oxime and is designed for children) that is currently produced and marketed abroad but not available in the United States

Approach to Assessing the Preparedness of Hospitals to Power Outages

Within the secondary impacts of electricity blackouts, it is necessary to pay attention to facilities providing medical care for the population, namely the hospitals. Hospitals represent a key position in the provision of health care also in times of crisis. These facilities must provide constant care; it is therefore essential that the preparedness of such facilities is kept at a high level. The basic aim of this article is to analyse the preparedness of hospitals to power outages (power failures, blackouts) within a pilot study. On that basis, a SWOT analysis is used to determine strengths and weaknesses of the system of preparedness of hospitals to power outages and solutions for better security of hospitals are defined. The sample investigated consists of four hospitals founded by the Regional Authority (hospitals Nos. 1-4) and one hospital founded by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic (hospital No. 5). The results of the study shows that most weaknesses of the preparedness of hospitals are represented by inadequately addressed reserves of fuel for the main backup power supply, poor knowledge of employees who are insufficiently retrained, and old backup power supplies (even 35 years in some cases)

DEVELOPING MODULE OF PERSONAL-SOCIAL GUIDANCE FOR GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING TEACHERS IN SPECIAL REGION OF YOGYAKARTA TO INCREASE PSYCHOLOGICAL PREPAREDNESS OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN FACING NATURAL DISASTER

This research aim to: (1) assess the need of Guidance and Counseling teachers concerning module material for increasing psychological preparedness of senior high school students in facing natural disaster; (2) develop and also validate module mentioned at the first purpose of this research. This research apply research and development approach for module validation and development. The research variable in this study is psychological preparedness in facing natural disaster; Psychological preparedness consisted of cognitive, affective and psychomotoric readiness; while natural disaster anticipated in this module cover earthquake, mount erupt and tropical cyclone. Research subject consist of 48 Guidance and Counseling teachers in special region of Yogyakarta for the purpose of need assessment; and for testing module validity, besides tested by three expert people, they are each expert in Guidance and Counseling, expert in natural disaster and mitigation, and expert in media, module is also tried out to user subject, that is Guidance and Counseling teachers of senior high school in special region of Yogyakarta. The try out sequentially involve 6 people at initial field, 15 people at main field, and 65 people at operational field. Instruments applied to collect data are either opened or closed questionnaires. The collected data, the quantitative as well as the qualitative one were analyzed descriptively. Results obtained from this research are: (1) Material required by Guidance and Counseling teachers for module of psychological preparedness in facing natural disaster cover cognitive aspect (14,58%), affective aspect (31,25%) and psychomotoric aspect (52,08%). (2) The module of "Personal-Social Guidance for increasing Psychological Preparedness of Students in Facing Natural Disaster" which is developed besides based on result of need assessment, also based on literature study by considering potential disaster for special region of Yogyakarta, therefore module developed cover three activities of personal-social services, each to face natural disaster of (a) earthquake, (b) mount erupt, and (c) tropical cyclone. (3) module validated is valued proper either in appearance or in concept, and also useful as media for assisting to perform service of personal-social guidance to increase psychological preparedness of senior high school students in facing natural disaster. Further, the module is valued “self-contained” for having fulfilled acceptance criterion (subject reach 80% minimum understanding) at the test of content understanding and module readability. Keywords: Module of Personal-Social Guidance, Psychological Preparedness in Facing Natural Disaster FIP, 2008 (PPB

Survey instrument for measuring level of preparedness amongst healthcare personnel in radiation emergency

Drills and exercises are globally practiced to investigate the level of preparedness towards disaster events. However, these activities are rarely conducted because they require substantial investment, specifically to budget and time. A self-reported survey may serve as an alternative approach, although it may not be as effective as drills and exercises. As part of the survey development process, this article discusses preliminary validation of a survey instrument to measure the level of preparedness towards radiation emergency amongst healthcare personnel. Prior to this validation process, extensive literature reviews pointed out that the instrument consists of three constructs of preparedness, namely readiness, willingness, and ability. A total of seven subject matter experts were invited to judge the contents for verification purposes. Randolph Kappa analysis was then conducted to analyse their judgment to allow irrelevant items to be filtered from the rest prior to any improvements. Initially, the survey instrument consisted of 69 items; however, the analysis omitted 16 of them. The following values for each preparedness construct were: Readiness (0.77), Willingness (0.70), and Ability (0.73). These findings indicate that contents of the instrument are valid. Further analysis should be fulfilled to complete validation process to ensure its practicality prior to using it as an evaluation tool