Factors affecting Perceived Earthquake Preparedness Behavior among Senior High School Graduates in the Philippines

Abstract: The Philippines is known to be highly vulnerable to disasters brought on by natural calamities and hazards, including surges, cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides. Currently, the country expects that the worst-case earthquake, known as “The Big One,” stretches from the Philippines’ West Valley fault, which will cause catastrophic events such as property damage, livelihood loss, and human casualties. With the recent improvements in the primary education curriculum in the Philippines, disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) have been incorporated as core subjects to be taken by students in senior high school. The research aimed to know the factors affecting the perceptions of Filipino senior high school graduates regarding earthquake preparedness through the integration of Protection Motivation Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior through Structural Equation Modeling. A total of 505 Filipino senior high school graduates volunteered to answer a self-administered online questionnaire consisting of 66 questions (11 latent variables and 57 indicators). Results show that Intention to prepare (I) has the highest direct significance effect on Actual behavior (AB), Actual behavior to Perceived preparedness (PP). Moreover, Actual behavior (AB) has the highest direct relationship with Perceived Preparedness (PP). Media (M), Hazard Knowledge (HK), and Risk Perception (RP) affect the Perceived Severity (SV). Media (M) and Hazard knowledge (HK) were also found to have significant effects on Perceived Vulnerability (VN). Thus, Perceived Severity (SV), Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC), and Attitude towards the Behavior (AB) directly affects Response Efficacy (RE). Lastly, Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) and Attitude towards the Behavior (AB) have a substantial effect on the Intention to prepare (I). Recommendations presented in this paper such as securing items at home, preparing an emergency kit, storing consumables, mustering information about evacuation sites and earthquake risks, and participating in drills or practices, are expected to improve earthquake awareness and preparedness among students and aid in reducing the disaster severity effects.

Keywords: Earthquakes, Natural disasters, Structural equation modeling, Preparedness behavior

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1003156

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