Factors Influencing Onsite Attendance Attitudes during Disasters

Introduction: Hazard scenarios during torrential rain disasters in Japan involve a high proportion of elderly people and accidents indoors. One of the reasons for this is the lack of available workers at welfare facilities for the elderly. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that affect the attitudes of staff toward onsite attendance at welfare evacuation shelters. Methods: Thirty welfare evacuation shelters were randomly sampled from 89 shelters in a city, and a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted by mail. The levels of disaster preparedness and disaster awareness were measured from responses, and their relationship to attitudes toward onsite attendance during disasters was analyzed. Results: A total of 113 staff subjects were analyzed. Responses of walking to work in the event of a disaster (p=0.002, x2test), being aware of a disaster manual (p=0.004, x2test), and having defined roles at the facility in the event of a disaster (p=0.034, x2test) were associated with onsite attendance. Disaster preparedness was associated with the ability to visualize disaster situations (p=0.009, Mann-Whitney U test), the ability to sense impending disasters (p=0.019, Mann-Whitney U test), and concern regarding disasters (p=0.001, Mann-Whitney U test). Compared to non-attendees, attendees were more concerned (OR 1.261; 95% CI: 1.025, 1.551) and less anxious (OR: 0.846; 95% CI: 0.719, 0.996) about disasters. Conclusion: The results suggest that encouraging facility staff to be more familiar with disaster preparedness and make firmer decisions to act in the event of a disaster can improve attitudes toward onsite attendance during disasters.