Development, implementation, and evaluation of a lay responder disaster training package among school teachers in...

The aim of this study was to develop and implement a lay responder disaster training (LRDT) package with the intention to alter the perceived efficacy, perceived threat, and levels of fear among school teachers.

The study used an intervention-based design, wherein we intervened by conducting an LRDT which aimed to affect the participants' responses as defined by Witte's behavioral model (WBM).

The LRDT package incorporated the usual disaster preparedness information but included the unexplored area of disaster first aid, which is lacking in most training currently being given. The entire LRDT was carried out for two consecutive days by an emergency medical services-accredited competency assessor. Preintervention and postintervention knowledge, level of fear, attitude, intentions, behavior, and a Risk Behavior Diagnosis Scale was assessed using a structured questionnaire based on the WBM.

After conducting the LRDT as an intervention, the results show that there was a significant change in the knowledge, behavior, perceived threat, and level of fear among the participants. Other constructs, such as attitude, intentions, and perceived efficacy, were not statistically significant after the intervention.

In conclusion, knowledge, behavior, and the perceived threat of the school teachers were significantly higher after the LRDT, and their level of fear was significantly lower. Based on these results, we can conclude that both the WBM questionnaire and the LRDT package showed potential in improving disaster risk reduction and management among school teachers in Angeles City, Philippines.