Disaster response knowledge and its social determinants: A cross-sectional study in Beijing, China

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to identify the social factors that shape the disaster response knowledge of residents in Beijing, China. This study aims to provide evidence supporting the development and promotion of effective strategies for disaster response knowledge, including natural and human-made ones. METHODS: A cross-sectional household survey on disaster response knowledge was conducted in Beijing, 2015. Using the multistage sampling method, data were collected from community residents through a self-administered questionnaire, and analyzed by descriptive methods and logistic regression models. RESULTS: Among the 847 respondents, 44.2% had advanced disaster response knowledge in general, while only 9.4% knew how to react to human-made disasters, and 61.4% had advanced natural disaster response knowledge. Rural residents and those with higher education had more disaster response knowledge (P<0.05). Economic status did not show significant effects on residents’ disaster response knowledge. CONCLUSION: People’s disaster response knowledge in Beijing was low, especially regarding human-made disasters. The findings implicate further health education on disaster preparedness and response should be implemented, also residents who lived in peri-urban and urban areas or with less education should be given more attention.