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Participating in campus security preparedness exercise (CSPE) is vitally important in addressing potential security threats and preventing critical incidents. The present study investigates the various determinants to predict intention, and actual participation in CSPE using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). We also examined the effect of perceived risk on attitude as an extension of the TPB. Based on 441 valid responses collected from students studying in different institutions of higher learning in Malaysia, the partial least squares equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze actual participation in CSPE behavior. The findings suggest that TPB is, indeed, a predictive model for explaining participation in CSPE. Based on the findings, the correlation between perceived risk and attitude is insignificant which leads to our subsequent argument on attitude as autonomous and not affected by one's perceived risk. Nevertheless, the proposed direct relationship between perceived behavioral control (PBC) and intention behavior is not supported. These findings provide an important theoretical platform for new interventions to further promoting active participation in CSPE. Policy implications for improving CSPE behaviors are provided accordingly., Author(s): Kim-Lim Tan [sup.1] , Joseph Kee-Ming Sia [sup.2] , Kuok Ho Daniel Tang [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) University of Newcastle, , Singapore, Singapore (2) grid.448987.e, Faculty of Business, Curtin [...]

Global climate change threatens university campuses around the world. However, prior research suggests that universities around the globe tend to prioritize preventing further climate change rather than developing plans to address the effects of ongoing, irreversible climate change. Further, scholarship on climate change and disaster resilience tends to focus on national and municipal government efforts to respond to crisis and often overlooks universities. In this paper, we build on prior literature by addressing the following research question: How can a team of administrators support organizational resilience to respond to natural disasters? Drawing on a framework from management literature, we performed a basic qualitative inquiry study to consider whether a university's response to a hurricane demonstrated resilience or rigidity. We found that university administrators exercised resilience by taking time to communicate and process information, using material resources, and focusing on extending emotional or relational resources. Our study provides one example of how a university can learn from prior crises and exercise resilience when faced with new threats. We offer recommendations for future research, including examining how organizational resilience occurs at multiple levels of an organization and how organizational resilience may vary when universities encounter different types of crises., Author(s): Frank Fernandez [sup.1] [sup.2] , Hilary Coulson [sup.3] [sup.2] , Yali Zou [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.15276.37, 0000 0004 1936 8091, Institute of Higher Education, University of Florida, , [...]

When local officials in Port Orford, Oregon, a small coastal town 60 miles north of California, were planning how to address the threat posed by tsunamis, they were surprised to [...]

Editor's Note: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, [...]

Editor's Note: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, [...]

Howard University and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are partnering for National Preparedness Month in September. Howard leads a coalition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) seeking to [...]

Greater convergence between national regulators will help prepare for the next pandemic, Author(s): Peter Marks [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Silver Spring, USA The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging from a public [...]

BACKGROUND: Although many studies have shown that high temperatures are associated with an increased risk of mortality and morbidity, there has been little research on managing the process of planned [...]

The U.S. government has mandated that, in a catastrophic event, metropolitan areas need to be capable of U.S. for 50 burn-injured patients per million population. In New York City, this [...]

In 2009, Thailand experienced rapid spread of the pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus. The national response came under intense public scrutiny as the number of confirmed cases and associated deaths increased. [...]

Abstract When disasters occur, nurses of all specialties require the appropriate knowledge and skills to respond effectively and efficiently. To assess the extent to which nurses in the US are [...]

Author(s): Caprice A. Knapp [sup.1] , Vanessa L. Madden [sup.1] , Mircea I. Marcu [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.15276.37, 0000 0004 1936 8091, https://ror.org/02y3ad647, Institute for Child Health Policy, University [...], Partnering between families and their children's providers is a cornerstone of family-centered care. This study aimed to identify factors associated with family-provider partnership and determine the association between partnership and other outcome measures for children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted using data from the 2005-2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. Multivariate models showed that CSHCN who are White non-Hispanic, younger than 12, reside in households with incomes above 400% of the federal poverty level, and have a usual source of care were associated with family-provider partnership. Multivariate models showed that family-provider partnership was significantly associated with adequate insurance, early and continual screening, organized health care services, and transition preparedness. Family-provider partnership was associated with 20% fewer emergency department visits and 9% fewer school days missed. This study suggests that policies aimed at promoting family-provider partnership could increase health outcomes for CSHCN.

Like most public managers nowadays, local emergency managers operate within complex, uncertain environments. Rapid changes in the scope and severity of the issues increase the extent of intergovernmental collaboration necessary to address such challenges. Using a large data set of county emergency management agency directors, variations in intergovernmental collaboration reflect influences from problem severity, managerial capacity, and structural factors. The results demonstrate that public managers who perceive problems as severe, possess specific managerial skills, lead high-capacity organizations, and operate in less complex agency structures collaborate more often and more effectively across governmental boundaries.

SUMMARY Canada, the second largest country in the world, is subject to every hazardous natural process on Earth--large earthquakes, tsunami, volcanic eruptions, landslides, snow avalanches, floods, hurricanes, tornados, severe storms, [...]

Objective: To investigate the ways that the risk of a bushfire emergency and communication strategies are perceived by different community segments. Methods: A brief questionnaire preceded focus group discussion of a bushfire scenario with four communications from different sources. Groups were recruited to represent different community segments within a bushfire-prone peri-urban Shire in Victoria. Results: Four groups (28 participants) were recruited. Bushfire experience was highest in the over 40-year-olds, who would use a variety of information sources, preferred to receive information from trusted local sources, such as emergency services and the council, and were more likely to be a member of a local organisation than the under 40s. Younger people used television, local papers, and friends, family and neighbours as information sources. Young parents felt disempowered through lack of local knowledge, and trusted government departments less than older residents. All wanted clear, current, specific local information about ground conditions and actions to be taken during a fire outbreak. Conclusions/implications: Knowledge of and preparedness for bushfire is unequally spread throughout a bushfire community. There is a need in public health risk and emergency situations to focus on community development, information and consultation. Key words: Emergency management, risk communication, bushfire. Aust NZ J Public Health. 2010; 34:24-31 doi: 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00469.x

Eiders have long been recognised as among the most vulnerable people in disaster events. This paper reports a qualitative study of the self-perceived needs of older people in the aftermath of the Barn earthquake in Iran in 2003. A total of 56 people aged from 65 to 88 years were recruited to the study using purposive sampling, including 29 men and 27 women. Six focus group discussions and ten semi-structured individual interviews were conducted. Each focus group involved six to ten people from the cities of Bam and Baravat and their rural suburbs. Content analysis was used to analyse the transcribed data. The analysis identified four major themes among the informants' concerns: inappropriate service delivery, affronts to dignity, feeling insecure and emotional distress. A disaster-prone country like Iran needs to be appropriately prepared with culturally sensitive plans to meet the needs of those who suffer from their effects, not least older people. Emergency relief managers should note that for many older people in a disaster zone, customary forms of relief are neither required nor appropriate, and that their distinctive immediate and long-term needs should be assessed and met. Relief agencies need to be trained to be age-sensitive and should mainstream older people's rights in the planning and implementation of both the response and recovery phases of assistance. KEY WORDS--older people's needs, disaster, Iran, qualitative study. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X09990122

The consequences of pandemic influenza for vulnerable populations will depend partly on the effectiveness of health risk communications. Strategic planning should fully consider how life circumstances, cultural values, and perspectives on risk influence behavior during a pandemic. We summarize recent scientific evidence on communication challenges and examine how sociocultural, economic, psychological, and health factors can jeopardize or facilitate public health interventions that require a cooperative public. If ignored, current communication gaps for vulnerable populations could result in unequal protection across society during an influenza pandemic. We offer insights on communication preparedness g leaned from scientific studies and the deliberations of public health experts at a meeting convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 1 and 2, 2008. (Am J Public Health. 2009;99:S324-S332. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.162537)