TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - Self-perceived disaster preparedness in minority older adults: a cross-sectional study
JO  - American journal of disaster medicine
A1  - Chae, Minji
A1  - Choudhury, Sumaita
A1  - Franco-Castano, Jason
A1  - Adepoju, Omolola E.
SP  - 117
EP  - 125
VL  - 17
IS  - 2
N2  - OBJECTIVE: Evidence suggests that people of color, especially African Americans and non-White Hispanics, residing in low-income communities are the most vulnerable to natural disasters. This study assessed individual level of self-perceived disaster preparedness, disaster response actions, and sociodemographic predictors of disaster preparedness among older minority adults in Houston, Texas. <br><br>METHOD: Working with Houston-area community-based organizations and senior-living centers, a cross-sectional survey, available in English and Spanish, was disseminated between November 2020 and January 2021. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred and twenty-two older minority adults aged 55+ completed the electronic survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The main outcome measure was the level of self-perceived preparedness regarding emergencies and disastersie, prepared vs not prepared-among the study participants. <br><br>RESULTS: Overall, about 58 percent of older minority adults did not perceive themselves to be prepared. Compared to individuals reporting annual incomes below $25,000, individuals reporting annual incomes between $25,000 and $74,999 were more likely to report being prepared [odds ratio (OR) = 2.28, 95 percent confidence interval (CI) = 1.29, 4.05]. Individuals who tested positive or had a close family member test positive for COVID-19 experienced 2.16 times higher odds of having self-perceived disaster preparedness than those who did not [OR = 2.16, 95 percent CI = 1.37, 3.42]. None of the other covariates were statistically significant. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: While we observed no differences in self-perceived disaster preparedness between African American and Hispanic older adults, our findings suggest the importance of prior experience/exposure to previous disasters and the role of socioeconomic status in self-perceived disaster preparedness in minority older adults.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1932-149X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5055/ajdm.2022.0425
ID  - ref1
ER  -