Exploring disaster preparedness of students at university in Bangladesh

Md. Khalid Hasan (), Masuma Moriom, Shariaj Ibna Mizan Shuprio, Tahmina Bintay Younos and Md. Arif Chowdhury
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Md. Khalid Hasan: University of Dhaka
Masuma Moriom: University of Dhaka
Shariaj Ibna Mizan Shuprio: University of Dhaka
Tahmina Bintay Younos: University of Dhaka
Md. Arif Chowdhury: Jashore University of Science and Technology

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2022, vol. 111, issue 1, No 36, 817-849

Abstract: Abstract Adequate and effective disaster preparedness in each sector is indispensable to abate disaster impacts and intensify disaster resilience in Bangladesh for achieving sustainable development goals by 2030. Though university students can play a significant role in promoting and strengthening disaster management activities in the community by sharing their knowledge and experience on disasters, very few studies focused on students' disaster preparedness. In this study, we assessed university students' perceived and actual disaster preparedness and explored the factors influencing disaster preparedness of male and female students. The cross-sectional survey method was adopted to collect 704 student respondents' data from the Dhaka University using a structured questionnaire by face-to-face interview. We found that university students perceived that they were moderately prepared for disaster; however, their actual disaster preparedness was relatively low. Disaster likelihood and disaster knowledge significantly influenced students’ perceived and actual disaster preparedness. However, no statistically significant mean differences were found between the male and female respondents regarding their perceived and actual disaster preparedness. In addition, students with higher disaster knowledge were more likely to have a higher perceived and actual disaster preparedness. Moreover, gender-segregated multiple linear regression analyses showed that disaster knowledge was significantly associated with the male students' actual and perceived preparedness, and female students' perceived preparedness. Besides, disaster concern and university preparedness were significant predictors of the female students' perceived preparedness, whereas male students' perceived preparedness was significantly influenced by disaster likelihood and university preparedness. Therefore, it is recommended that disaster education should be introduced into the university curricula, including disaster management training, drills, and simulations. The study provides strong evidence of the need for developing a comprehensive disaster plan at the university and has policy implications. However, further research is needed to explore college and school students' disaster preparedness knowledge and practice in Bangladesh.

Keywords: Disaster preparedness; Disaster knowledge; Disaster concern; Students; University preparedness; Bangladesh (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1007/s11069-021-05080-2

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