The Effectiveness of Two Interventions for Improving Knowledge of Emergency Preparedness Amongst Enrollees of the World Trade Center Health Registry: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Howard E. Alper (), Lisa M. Gargano, Meghan K. Hamwey, Lydia F. Leon and Liza Friedman
Additional contact information
Howard E. Alper: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, World Trade Center Health Registry, 30–30 47th Avenue, Room 414, Long Island City, New York, NY 11101, USA
Lisa M. Gargano: Rhode Island Department of Health, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908, USA
Meghan K. Hamwey: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, World Trade Center Health Registry, 30–30 47th Avenue, Room 414, Long Island City, New York, NY 11101, USA
Lydia F. Leon: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, World Trade Center Health Registry, 30–30 47th Avenue, Room 414, Long Island City, New York, NY 11101, USA
Liza Friedman: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, World Trade Center Health Registry, 30–30 47th Avenue, Room 414, Long Island City, New York, NY 11101, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: Natural and man-made disasters are occurring more frequently, making household emergency preparedness essential for an effective response. Enrollees of the World Trade Center Health Registry have been found to be less prepared than the US national average despite their prior disaster exposure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of two interventions—a mailed brochure and a structured phone call—for increasing emergency preparedness knowledge among this population. We conducted a two-arm parallel group trial between February 2019 and August 2020. Participants were Registry enrollees who completed the Wave 4 Registry (2015–2016) survey, whose primary language was English or Spanish, who lived in New York City, and who did not report being a rescue and recovery worker affiliated with FDNY or NYPD. Enrollees were randomized to receive either a brochure by mail summarizing the components of emergency preparedness or a 15 min phone call describing the same. The primary outcome measure was the number of “yes” responses to the ten-item CDC CASPER emergency preparedness questionnaire, measured at baseline and post-intervention. Enrollees were sequentially alternatively assigned to either the brochure or phone call groups. In total, 705 enrollees were assigned to the brochure ( n = 353) or phone call ( n = 352) groups, and a total of 702 enrollees were analyzed. The Incident Rate Ratio (IRR) for the effect of time was 1.17 (95% CI = (1.14, 1.20)) and for intervention was 1.00 (95% CI = (0.95, 1.05)) Both the brochure and phone call interventions improved knowledge of emergency preparedness from baseline to post-intervention assessment, and to the same extent.

Keywords: 9/11 Disaster; emergency preparedness; randomized controlled trials (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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