Factors Affecting Behavior and Behavioral Intentions of Expectant and Nursing Mothers Regarding Disaster Preparation

Abstract

Expectant and nursing mothers need to prepare for natural disasters to protect their lives and their children’s lives and to maintain their health and daily life after the disaster. This study aimed to clarify the actual conditions of disaster preparedness behaviors of expectant and nursing mothers and to identify factors promoting disaster preparation behavior and behavioral intentions that lead to disaster preparation behavior among expectant and nursing mothers. We conducted a cross-sectional survey involving 1,000 expectants and nursing mothers between October 2020 and January 2021 using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. We received 135 valid responses. The questionnaire included items about the actual status of disaster preparation, attitudes toward preparation behavior based on Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior, subjective norms on disaster preparation determined by perceived expectations from others, descriptive norms on disaster preparation that refer to the perceptions of others’ engagement in disaster preparation behavior, perceptions of behavioral control that refer to views regarding how easy or difficult it is to perform a given behavior, and social support sources that are required for disaster preparation behavior. Correlations among variables were analyzed. A structural equation modeling technique was used to test a model to explain factors encouraging expectant and nursing mothers to prepare for disaster.