Publication

Objectives: In Japan, large-scale natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and floods frequently occur, often having devastating effects on people's lives. For this reason, it is imperative that people be prepared for disasters at an individual, family and community level in Japan. This study aims to evaluate factors associated to individual disaster preparedness among nursing university students in Japan. Methods: An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted among nursing university students in July, 2017 in Japan. The questionnaire was prepared based on questions used in previous studies by the Cabinet Office, which included perception of natural disasters and actual behaviors related to disaster preparedness. Results: The questionnaire was distributed to 215 nursing university students, and 170 were analyzed in this study. Although 91.4% of respondents showed concern for disasters and 81.2% respondents for disaster preparedness, only 50.0% respondents were aware of the location of evacuation area closest to their current residential area and 17.6% respondents had some prearranged communication method with family in the event of disaster. Respondents living alone were less likely to know the location of evacuation area (AOR: 0.217; 95% CI: 0.103, 0.459; P<0.001) than respondents who lived with their family, and respondents with experience of training/lecture on disaster preparedness were more likely to know the location of evacuation area (AOR: 3.418; 95% CI: 1.448, 8.064; P=0.005). Respondents who recognized the importance of disaster preparedness (AOR: 4.084; 95% CI: 1.430, 11.683; P=0.009) were more likely to have arranged with their family how to communicate with each other in the event of disaster. Conclusions: Participating in training/lecture regarding disaster preparedness contributed to actual disaster preparedness such as knowing the location of evacuation area. However, there was no contribution of participation in training/lectures on other behaviors of preparedness such as prearrangement of communication methods with family, preparation of emergency items, and registration in disaster notification services. As persons whose professional skills will be sought in pre- and post-disasters, it is essential to strengthen the capabilities of nursing university students through training on disaster preparation in order that they can effectively prepare for future disasters.