ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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Year : 2015 | Volume
: 3
| Issue : 3 | Page : 163-168 |
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Disaster preparedness amongst women, the invisible force of resilience: A study from Delhi, India
Rahul Sharma, Vikas Kumar, Dinesh Raja
Department of Community Medicine, University College of Medical Sciences, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, India
Correspondence Address:
Rahul Sharma Department of Community Medicine, University College of Medical Sciences, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi - 110 095 India
Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/2347-9019.157402
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Context: Women participation in disaster risk reduction has been stressed as they are the 'invisible force of resilience'. A sizeable number of the women in Delhi are homemakers. Objective: To study disaster preparedness amongst the women who are homemakers in a part of Delhi, India. Study Design: Cross-sectional community-based study. Setting: Four residential areas in east Delhi. Participants: Total 754 homemakers aged 18 years and above. Results: Amongst the women, 22.7% were illiterate while 19.7% had done college graduation or higher studies. The level of concern amongst them was highest for earthquake, fire and swine flu. Just 2.7% had the confidence that their household is well-prepared for a disaster situation. The top reasons for not being prepared were 'nothing can be done during a disaster', 'disasters are God's will' and 'will prepare only after seeing a disaster'. Only 15.1% had a family member trained in what to do in case of a disaster. Conclusion: The current analysis revealed several gaps in the women's preparedness. The adoption of positive behaviour by homemakers can directly impact the well-being of their family and their community. |
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