Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-tj2md Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T04:01:54.546Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Disaster Preparedness in Rural Families of Children With Special Health Care Needs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2016

Cara J. Hamann ,
Elizabeth Mello ,
Hongqian Wu ,
Jingzhen Yang ,
Debra Waldron  and
Marizen Ramirez
Cara J. Hamann
Affiliation:
Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Injury Prevention Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Elizabeth Mello
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Injury Prevention Research Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Hongqian Wu
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics and Injury Prevention Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Jingzhen Yang
Affiliation:
Center for Injury Research and Policy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
Debra Waldron
Affiliation:
Division of Services for Children with Special Healthcare Needs, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, Maryland
Marizen Ramirez*
Affiliation:
Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Injury Prevention Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Injury Prevention Research Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Marizen Ramirez, PhD, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Injury Prevention Research Center, The University of Iowa, 200 Newton Rd, 2186 WL, Iowa City, IA 52242 (e-mail: marizen-ramirez@uiowa.edu).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this study was to describe disaster preparedness strategies and behaviors among rural families who have children with special health care needs and to examine the effect of self-efficacy and response-efficacy on disaster preparedness.

Methods

Data for this study were drawn from the baseline surveys of 287 rural families with children with special health care needs who were part of a randomized controlled trial examining the impact of an intervention on disaster preparedness. Distributions of child, parent, and family characteristics were examined by preparedness. Linear regression models were built to examine the impact of self-efficacy and response-efficacy on level of disaster preparedness.

Results

Disaster preparedness (overall, emergency plan, discussion/practice, and supplies) was low (40.9-69.7%) among study families. Disaster preparedness was found to increase with each unit increase in the level of self-efficacy and family resilience sources across all 4 categories of preparedness.

Conclusions

Disaster preparedness among rural families with children with special health care needs is low, which is concerning because these children may have increased vulnerability to adverse outcomes compared to the general population. Results suggest that increasing the levels of self-efficacy and family resilience sources may increase disaster preparedness. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:225–232)

Keywords

disasterspreparednesschildrenruralspecial needs
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , April 2016 , pp. 225 - 232
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. FEMA. Update on Citizen Preparedness Research. Washington, DC: FEMA; 2008.Google Scholar
2. Baker, LR, Baker, MD. Disaster preparedness among families of children with special health care needs. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2010;4(3):240-245. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/dmp.2010.28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3. Gershon, RR, Kraus, LE, Raveis, VH, et al. Emergency preparedness in a sample of persons with disabilities. Am J Disaster Med. 2013;8(1):35-47. http://dx.doi.org/10.5055/ajdm.2013.0109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4. Ridgeway, J. Katrina: a story of survival and Papa Joe’s new community. Impact: Feature Issue on Disaster Preparedness and People with Disabilities. 2007;20(1):1-36. Https://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/201/over1.html. Accessed December 7, 2015.Google Scholar
5. Hemingway, L, Priestly, M. Natural hazards, human vulnerability, and disabling societies. Rev Disabil Stud. 2006;2:57-67.Google Scholar
6. Chou, YJ, Huang, N, Lee, CH, et al. Who is at risk of death in an earthquake? Am J Epidemiol. 2004;160(7):688-695. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwh270.Google Scholar
7. Osaki, Y, Minowa, M. Factors associated with earthquake deaths in the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, 1995. Am J Epidemiol. 2001;153(2):153-156. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aje/153.2.153.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8. Durch, J, Lohr, KN, Institute of Medicine, Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medical Services. Emergency Medical Services for Children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1993:xvi.Google Scholar
9. 2010 Census Urban and Rural Classification and Urban Area Criteria. US Census Bureau website. http://www.census.gov/geo/reference/ua/urban-rural-2010.html. Accessed October 14, 2015.Google Scholar
10. Putzer, GJ, Koro-Ljungberg, M, Duncan, RP. Critical challenges and impediments affecting rural physicians during a public health emergency. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2012;6(4):342-348. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/dmp.2012.59.Google Scholar
11. Eisenman, DP, Zhou, Q, Ong, M, et al. Variations in disaster preparedness by mental health, perceived general health, and disability status. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2009;3(1):33-41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/DMP.0b013e318193be89.Google Scholar
12. Maloney, EK, Lapinski, MK, Witte, K. Fear appeals and persuasion: a review and update of the Extended Parallel Process Model. Soc Personal Psychol Compass. 2011;5(4):206-219. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2011.00341.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13. US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs English Questionnaire, 2005-2006. Rockville, MD: HRSA; 2008.Google Scholar
14. Rural Urban Commuting Area Codes (RUCA) Data. WWAMI Rural Health Research Center website. http://depts.washington.edu/uwruca/ruca-data.php. Accessed October 14, 2015.Google Scholar
15. Mccubbin, H, Olson, D, Larsen, A. Family crisis oriented personal scales (F-COPES). In mccubbin H, Thompson A, mccubbin M, eds. Family Assessment: Resiliency, Coping, and Adaptation—Inventories for Research and Practice (1996). Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin System; 1981:455-507.Google Scholar
16. Cutrona, C, Russell, D. The provisions of social relationships and adaptation to stress. In: Jones W, Perlman D, eds. Advances in Personal Relationships. Vol 1. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press; 1987:37-67.Google Scholar
17. Witte, K. Putting the fear back into fear appeals: the Extended Parallel Process Model. Commun Monogr. 1992;59(4):329-349. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03637759209376276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18. Mcclure, LA, Boninger, ML, Oyster, ML, et al. Emergency evacuation readiness of full-time wheelchair users with spinal cord injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2011;92(3):491-498. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2010.08.030.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19. Save the Children. Unaccounted for: a national report card on protecting children in disasters. http://www.savethechildrenweb.org/getready/Disaster-Report-2013/#4. Published 2013. Accessed December 7, 2015.Google Scholar