Source Of Warning Research Articles

Factors Influencing (Mal)adaptive Responses to Natural Disasters: The Case of Hurricane Matthew

AbstractClimate-related disasters are on the rise, with a 44% increase between 1994 and 2013, and the population at risk is ever growing. The need to help people protect their well-being, families, and homes is of utmost importance. We surveyed individuals impacted by Hurricane Matthew in real time in October 2016 to explore the role of mental health, self-efficacy, social support, and evacuation and attitudinal factors on disaster response. We asked, “How much do 1) evacuation-relevant factors (reported evacuation zone, awareness of risk, and source of warning); 2) attitudes (climate- and environment-related perceptions and intentions); and 3) psychosocial factors (mental health, self-efficacy, and social support) contribute to engagement in protective behaviors (evacuation and preparation)?” We found 1) greater immediate exposure to risk increases protective behaviors; 2) climate and environmental concern increase preparation, but not evacuation; and 3) people with greater mental health and self-efficacy respond in ways commensurate with risk, taking protective actions if they live within a reported evacuation zone and not if they are not at risk, while those with lower mental health and self-efficacy do not respond in line with risks. These findings paint a complex picture of disaster response and suggest that preparedness efforts need to go beyond simple policy prescriptions (e.g., mandated evacuations) or improved messaging toward a focus on developing comprehensive programs that build human capital and provide people with psychological and social resources in advance of, during, and after an extreme weather event.

Are Some of the Cigar Warnings Mandated in the U.S. More Believable Than Others?

Background: Text warnings are mandated on cigars sold in the United States (U.S.), however little published research has examined effectiveness of cigar warnings. This is the first study examining the believability of cigar warnings among adults in the U.S. Methods: Adults in the U.S. (n = 5014) were randomized in a phone survey to receive one of three cigar-specific mandated warning messages (“Cigar smoking can cause cancers of the mouth and throat, even if you do not inhale”, “Cigar smoking can cause lung cancer and heart disease”, and “Cigars are not a safe alternative to cigarettes”) with one of four warning sources (no source, Surgeon General, CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), FDA (Food and Drug Administration)). Results: Most adults found the cigar warnings very believable (66.9%). Weighted logistic regression results indicate that the message “Cigar smoking can cause lung cancer and heart disease” was associated with higher odds of being very believable (AOR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.55, 2.70) and the message “Cigars are not a safe alternative to cigarettes” was associated with lower odds of being very believable (AOR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.55, 0.92) compared to the message “Cigar smoking can cause cancers of the mouth and throat, even if you do not inhale”. Warning source had no impact on believability. Conclusions: We tested three of the currently mandated cigar warnings in the U.S. and found significant differences in believability between them. Further research on cigar warnings may improve communication to the public on cigar health risks, ultimately preventing uptake of cigars and promoting cessation among cigar users.

Believability of Cigar Warning Labels Among Adolescents

PurposeDespite high rates of cigar use among youth, little information exists about how cigar warnings are received by youth. We examined believability of different cigar warning messages with different sources among adolescents in a national phone survey. MethodsAdolescents (aged 13–17 years) in the US (N = 1,125; total response rate, 66%) were randomized to receive one of three health messages (“cigar smoking can cause cancers of the mouth and throat, even if you do not inhale,” “cigar smoking can cause lung cancer and heart disease,” and “cigars are not a safe alternative to cigarettes”) and one of four warning sources (Food and Drug Administration, Surgeon General, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and no source). Believability was assessed with “how believable is this warning,” and responses were dichotomized for “not at all or somewhat” versus “very.” ResultsWeighted logistic regression results indicated that most youth found the cigar warnings very believable (60.5%). Messages about mouth and throat cancer (regardless of inhalation) and the safety of cigars in comparison to cigarettes were rated as significantly less believable than messages about lung cancer and heart disease related to cigars. There were no significant differences by source or other demographics. However, youth susceptible to using cigarettes were less likely to report the cigar warnings to be very believable. ConclusionsThe messages of cigar warning labels are not viewed as equally believable among adolescents. Future studies should examine how youth process messages about health effects of cigars and the impact of different cigar warnings on youth experimentation with and use of cigars.

Determinants of household flood evacuation mode choice in a developing country

Increasing frequency and severity of hazards that lead to devastating disaster impacts demand building substantial response capability. Evacuation is seen as one of the effective measures to avert disaster impacts. Planning and modeling of effective evacuation incorporate evacuation travel behavior. This study seeks to identify and understand the effects of determinants on households’ mode choice behavior in a developing country. Discrete choice models were estimated and validated from original data collected in selected sub-districts in Quezon City, Philippines. Findings revealed important determinants that can help evacuation planners and managers develop strategies for future flood evacuation operations. Determinants to evacuees who traveled on-foot include departure timing, destination type, age, gender and educational attainment of the head of the household, presence of small children, presence of health problem, house ownership, number of years living in the residence, vehicle ownership, source of warning, distance traveled to safety and cost of evacuation. Results of this study provide insights that can be useful for the government to plan for future evacuations. For instance, the government can encourage the households with a personal vehicle to use them in future evacuations, while providing for those without a personal vehicle and needing to travel longer distances. The government can also encourage households living in high flood risk areas to prepare household evacuation plans.

A household-level flood evacuation decision model in Quezon City, Philippines

Evacuation is one of the important preparedness measures in disaster management. It requires careful modeling and planning to minimize chaos and confusion during evacuation operations. The choice of decision-makers, whether to evacuate or stay in the area threatened by hazard, is an important aspect of evacuation travel behavior research. This is considered an essential input for evacuation modeling and planning. This study investigates the effects of various factors determining evacuation decision. A discrete choice model is proposed using the data collected through a face-to-face post-event survey from flood-affected households in Quezon City, Philippines. The model allows a choice among three alternatives of full, partial, and no evacuation. Results show that evacuation decision is determined by a combination of household characteristics and capacity-related factors (gender, educational level, presence of children, and number of years living in the residence, house ownership, number of house floor levels, type of house material), as well as hazard-related factors (distance from source of flood, level of flood damage, and source of warning). Findings in the study provide insights that can be considered by policy-makers in preparing for future evacuations. Appropriate programs can be designed to encourage full evacuation compliance of households that live nearest to the flood source and those living in houses with two or more floor levels who are more likely not to evacuate. Households with children can also be educated for full evacuation compliance since these households have higher probability to partially evacuate.

Minority Citizens in Disasters.

The first study of its kind to address the issue of ethnic diversity, Minority Citizens in Disasters focuses on the responses of two minorities-blacks and Mexican-Americans-relative to whites in three disaster events: a propane car derailment, a nitric acid spill, and a flood. Ronald Perry and Alvin Mushkatel find that response to initial warnings is influenced by the source of the information-mass media, public authorities, or family and friends-and by the immediacy of the danger, a group's familiarity with the type of threat, and the cause of the disaster. Though social contacts were most often the source of warning, public authorities were the most trusted and reliable. The mass media, usually considered an unreliable source, proved an effective means for reaching a majority of Mexican-Americans, who often tuned in to Spanish-language stations. Blacks, however, tended to dismiss the media as a vehicle controlled by whites and covering primarily white concerns, while whites often dismissed news stories as mere media productions. Perry and Mushkatel's record of the responses of blacks, Mexican-Americans, and whites not only reveals the differing social configurations of minority and majority groups but, more importantly, suggests concrete ways to modify and improve emergency management systems.