EARTHQUAKE KNOWLEDGE AND PREPAREDNESS AMONG NURSING STUDENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70332/jkp.v4i1.76Keywords:
disaster nursing; earthquake; knowledge; nursing students; preparednessAbstract
Background: Nursing students may assume important responsibilities during disasters, including initial care, evacuation, triage, health communication, and continuity of essential services. In an earthquake-prone country such as Indonesia, preparing future nurses for disaster response is therefore an educational priority. Although knowledge of earthquake hazards and protective measures contributes to preparedness, cognitive understanding does not necessarily reflect the ability to respond effectively in an emergency.
Objective: This study investigated the association between earthquake-related knowledge and preparedness among nursing students.
Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in January 2026 at Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Keperawatan PPNI Jawa Barat, Bandung, Indonesia. The participants were 122 fourth-year nursing students recruited through total sampling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, a 26-item earthquake knowledge questionnaire, and a 30-item earthquake preparedness questionnaire. Participant characteristics and study variables were summarized descriptively, and Spearman's rank correlation was used to examine the association between knowledge and preparedness.
Results: Most participants demonstrated good earthquake-related knowledge, while all participants were categorized as having good preparedness. Analysis based on complete paired observations identified a statistically significant moderate inverse association between knowledge and preparedness (Spearman's rho = −0.433, p < 0.001). The negative direction of the coefficient requires cautious interpretation because preparedness scores showed limited variation and were concentrated within the highest category.
Conclusion: Earthquake knowledge was significantly associated with preparedness among the nursing students included in this study. However, the inverse relationship and restricted variability in preparedness indicate that knowledge should not be considered an adequate representation of practical disaster readiness by itself. Disaster nursing education should therefore combine theoretical learning with simulation, competency-based assessment, self-efficacy development, and institutional emergency-preparedness activities
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