Redefining health behaviors to include disaster preparedness

A recent string of natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and fears of pandemic flu have caused much attention and resources to be allocated to disaster preparedness education in the United States. As there is variability in outcomes and populations impacted by disasters, both natural and manmade, a generic preparedness or “all hazards” approach has emerged. At the individual or household level this translates into health behaviors of having a family communication plan, disaster supplies, and intentions to comply with governmental edicts in the face of a disaster. In this paper, data from a national repeated cross sectional survey (n= 1629) conducted monthly between August 2005 and January 2006, documented national trends in disaster preparedness at the individual household level. Multinomial logit models will be presented to show that those most likely to be prepared for a disaster are older, are men, have higher SES, and live in the Western United States. In regards to health related behavior, disaster prepared people eat more fruits and vegetables, are more likely to have flu shots, and are more likely to trust information they receive over the internet. Findings suggest that health promotion surveys, campaigns, and initiatives should consider disaster preparedness as an important component of health behavior.