Geographic and Socioeconomic Predictors of Disaster Preparedness among Barangay Health Emergency Responders and Residents: Evidence from Dapitan City

Abstract

This study investigated the levels of disaster awareness and preparedness among Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) and residents in Dapitan City, Philippines, specifically examining the influence of geographic and socioeconomic factors. Employing a descriptive-correlational design, data were collected from 380 respondents, comprising BHERT members and randomly selected residents, across 15 barangays in Dapitan City. Structured questionnaires assessed disaster awareness, attitude, and preparedness. Ordinal logistic regression analysis, using maximum likelihood estimation (α = 0.05), identified significant geographic and socioeconomic predictors of awareness, attitude, and preparedness levels. Findings indicate high levels of awareness regarding common hazards such as typhoons (87.9%), earthquakes (84.2%), and floods (75.8%), yet overall practical preparedness remains low. Higher family monthly income (p = 0.007) and residential proximity to river-plain (p < 0.001), near river (p = 0.010), and near river-mountain areas (p = 0.006) were significant predictors of a more favorable disaster awareness attitude. For BHERT preparedness, higher educational attainment (p = 0.024) and classification as a very highly vulnerable barangay (p = 0.023) were significant positive predictors. Conversely, age (p = 0.030) was inversely correlated with BHERT preparedness. Sex, occupation, and attendance at disaster preparedness training did not emerge as significant predictors.BHERTs were consistently rated as "Partially Prepared" across all dimensions, including systems and structures, policies and plans, building competencies, and equipment and supplies.The study concludes that a persistent gap exists between awareness and practical preparedness, with geographic and socioeconomic factors critically shaping both. However, a crucial observation is that while statistically significant, the models' explanatory power for both awareness attitude (Nagelkerke R² = 0.031) and BHERT preparedness (Nagelkerke R² = 0.0445) is low. The result suggests that these measured factors are not the sole determinants of awareness and preparedness, highlighting the need for future research to investigate a broader range of variables and informing the development of targeted interventions addressing topography, income, and education.