Exploring the factors associated with final-year primary school students’ flood knowledge, risk perception, and preparedness in flood-prone areas of South Thailand

Abstract

Flood frequency has increased globally, and children are among the groups most vulnerable to risk during these events. A significant challenge in mitigating floods worldwide is enhancing flood knowledge, flood risk perception (FRP), and flood preparedness (FP) among communities. Research on FP among primary school students (PSS) in Thailand is limited. This study evaluated the flood knowledge, FRP, and FP of final-year PSS in Nakhon Si Thammarat, a flood-prone area in South Thailand, and identified associated factors. This cross-sectional study surveyed 784 students aged 11–13 years from 61 primary schools. Data collected via a questionnaire included sociodemographic traits, flood experience, learning, training, living arrangements, sources of flood information, feelings about floods, flood knowledge, FRP, and FP. Chi-square and multivariate regression analyses identified the factors linked to the students’ flood knowledge, FRP, and FP. The study revealed that nearly 69.4 % had experienced flooding, and a substantial 91.2 % had never received flood training. Additionally, most students exhibited low levels of flood knowledge, FRP, and FP. The multivariate analysis indicated that the factors significantly associated with flood knowledge included learning experiences, flood information from friends, and Facebook; FRP is influenced by experiences of flooding at home, learning experiences, emotional responses, and sources of flood information from the community and YouTube; and FP is associated with flood training, information from friends, and FRP. The results of this study provide essential guidelines for preparing to address future flooding events among children in the Nakhon Si Thammarat Province and Thailand.