The development of Disaster preparedness education for public: A scoping review

Abstract Background: Disasters have become an increasing concern globally due to their devastating impacts on communities, economies, and infrastructure. The rising frequency and intensity of disasters necessitate a more comprehensive, proactive and systematic approach in preparing communities to mitigate and respond effectively. To address this, disaster preparedness education for public has emerged as a crucial component of disaster risk reduction strategies and plays a crucial role in enhancing the resilience of communities and minimizing the adverse effects of disasters. Objective: This scoping review aims to explore and map the key findings related to the development of disaster preparedness education for public and identify key themes, gaps, and challenges in this field. Material and methods: A scoping review of literature was undertaken to assess research articles and preprints from the date of establishment to March 30, 2023. Databases included PubMed database(MEDLINE), ISI Web of Science (WOS), Google Scholar and Web of Science. Results: 95 articles met inclusion criteria and were finally included for the review. The included studies originated from 16 countries: the United States of America(n=51), China (n=6), Iran (n=6), Japan(n=5) and Turkey(n=5) accounted for the majority of them. Research designs of included studies consisted of one cohort study, thirty randomized controlled trials, one cross-sectional study, six qualitative studies, fifty-four quasi-experimental studies and three mixed-method studies. Research objects of included studies consisted of 8 types, of which all disasters(n=58), emerging infectious diseases(n=13), mass casualty incidents(n=10) and earthquake(n=7) accounted for the majority. Together, these studies involved 31,981 participants including citizens, emergency health care providers, families of special health care needs, as well as students from different medical areas. Thematic analysis of the charted findings led to the identification of three stressed themes: (1) factors influencing the development of disaster preparedness education, (2) models and frameworks for disaster preparedness education and (3) innovative approaches in disaster preparedness education. Conclusion: This review demonstrates a variety of factors impacting the development and implementation of simulation to assess characteristics of disaster preparedness education. Adoption of models and frameworks such as behavior change theories, risk communication models and innovative approaches could improve the quality and consistency of the disaster preparedness education.