Assessment of Knowledge, Emotion, and Attitude Levels of Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers on the Disaster Management and Pediatric First Aid

Abstract

Objectives: This study's aim is to assess the disaster management and pediatric first aid-related knowledge, emotion, and attitude levels of of kindergarten and elementary school teachers, as the professionals that are first to provide interventions in the case of a disaster to children ages 0-8, who are considered to be among the vulnerable groups in the context of a disaster. Methods: A total of 119 teachers working in the kindergarten and elementary schools located in the Gümüşhane province of Turkey were included in the study and were asked to fill in a questionnaire that comprises 3 sections. Data collection tools included a sociodemographic questionnaire, teachers' disaster management knowledge levels, and teachers' pediatric first-aid knowledge, emotion, and attitude levels. Results: Analysis of the scores obtained by the teachers from the questionnaire revealed that the teachers, who participated in the study, had a high level of disaster management knowledge and a moderate-to-high level of pediatric first aid knowledge. Conclusions: It is suggested as a result of this study that the disaster risks and injuries or losses of life associated with disasters that may occur at schools may be reduced with disaster management and first-aid interventions. © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.