Liao Kai-Min, Hu Yih-Jin
Department of Health Promotion and Health Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Policy and Socio-Economics Division, National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction, New Taipei, Taiwan.
PLoS One. 2025 Feb 28;20(2):e0315617. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0315617. eCollection 2025.
This study examines the heterogeneity in disaster preparedness behaviors among older adults and the factors that influence them, with the aim of offering policy recommendations to mitigate casualties among older adults during natural disasters. This is a secondary data analysis of cross-sectional data involving 394 participants aged 65 and above, with data sourced from the seventh wave of the Basic Social Change Survey conducted by Academia Sinica. These cross-sectional data were collected through face-to-face interviews, where interviewers conducted one-on-one questioning to gather general information and assess disaster preparedness. Hierarchical regression analysis was employed to explore the relationship between various factors and disaster preparedness behaviors. Descriptive statistics show that among the six disaster preparedness behaviors, 32.5% of the elderly moved vehicles or household items to a safe location, and 27.2% secured cabinets or large appliances. The remaining four disaster preparedness behaviors-including purchasing disaster insurance, preparing a disaster emergency kit, identifying and planning evacuation locations and routes, and participating in disaster response drills-were exhibited by less than 11.9% of the participants. Hierarchical regression showed that younger age, higher education, lower income, better health, community involvement, disaster experience, and higher perceived risk were associated with increased preparedness among older adults. The study found that most older adults do not invest time or money in disaster preparedness. Government agencies should encourage older adults to participate and account for their heterogeneity, such as through targeted interventions in health promotion, disaster response education, and social support. Initiatives like health check-ups, exercise classes to improve physical fitness, and simple, understandable disaster response courses can enhance risk perception. For high-income groups, emphasizing the importance of disaster preparedness through data and real-life examples is crucial. Older adults should also be encouraged to join community organizations and disaster drills, and a platform for sharing disaster experiences should be established to improve overall disaster resilience.
本研究考察了老年人备灾行为的异质性及其影响因素，旨在提出政策建议，以减少自然灾害期间老年人的伤亡。这是一项对394名65岁及以上参与者的横断面数据进行的二次数据分析，数据来源于中央研究院进行的第七次基本社会变迁调查。这些横断面数据是通过面对面访谈收集的，访谈者进行一对一提问以收集一般信息并评估备灾情况。采用分层回归分析来探讨各种因素与备灾行为之间的关系。描述性统计显示，在六种备灾行为中，32.5%的老年人将车辆或家居物品转移到安全地点，27.2%的老年人固定了橱柜或大型电器。其余四种备灾行为——包括购买灾害保险、准备灾害应急包、确定并规划疏散地点和路线以及参加灾害应对演练——只有不到11.9%的参与者表现出。分层回归显示，年龄较小、教育程度较高、收入较低、健康状况较好、社区参与度较高、有灾害经历以及较高的感知风险与老年人备灾能力的提高相关。研究发现，大多数老年人在备灾方面没有投入时间或金钱。政府机构应鼓励老年人参与并考虑到他们的异质性，例如通过在健康促进、灾害应对教育和社会支持方面进行有针对性的干预。诸如健康检查、提高身体素质的健身课程以及简单易懂的灾害应对课程等举措可以增强风险感知。对于高收入群体，通过数据和实际例子强调备灾的重要性至关重要。还应鼓励老年人加入社区组织和参加灾害演练，并建立一个分享灾害经历的平台，以提高整体灾害恢复力。
