Protection Motivation Status and Factors Influencing Risk Reduction Measures among the Flood-Prone Households in Bangladesh.

Publisher: MDPI Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101238455 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1660-4601 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 16604601 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Environ Res Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Basel : MDPI, c2004-

Disasters* ; Floods*; Bangladesh ; Motivation ; Risk Reduction Behavior

Bangladesh, a low-lying deltaic country, experiences recurrent floods. To reduce the subsequent losses and damages, self-preparedness measures are imperative. In that context, the present study attempted to assess the flood protection motivation status of local flood-prone households through the evaluation of threat and coping capacities, as well as the identification of the factors that influence preparedness actions. Using Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), this study employed a mixed-method approach at three different flood-prone locations in Bangladesh: (1) Type 1 settlement, an area with 'hard (flood embankment)' flood risk reduction measures; (2) Type 2 settlement, without any risk reduction measure; (3) Type 3 settlement, with 'soft' measures put in place as part of NGO-led disaster risk reduction interventions. The study findings revealed a comparatively higher protection motivation status among the respondents living in the Type 3 settlement, in terms of evaluating the flood risk and capacity to take flood preparedness measures. The correlation analysis further illustrated that the factors of the perceived probability and severity of flooding, coping capacity, previous flood experience, reliance on NGO interventions, and gender status had an influence on the protection motivation of flood-prone households. Remarkably, no such influence was found for socio-economic factors such as education and income. It is hoped that the study findings can support the future decision-making process for designing preparedness interventions for communities in flood-prone areas.

Risk Anal. 2012 Aug;32(8):1369-81. (PMID: 22150511)
J Psychol. 1975 Sep;91(1):93-114. (PMID: 28136248)
Risk Anal. 2007 Apr;27(2):313-26. (PMID: 17511700)
Disasters. 2013 Jan;37(1):165-84. (PMID: 23050797)
Disasters. 2010 Apr;34(2):489-508. (PMID: 19878260)
Science. 2014 May 2;344(6183):473-5. (PMID: 24786064)
Risk Anal. 2008 Jun;28(3):771-8. (PMID: 18643832)
Risk Anal. 2018 Feb;38(2):345-356. (PMID: 28616870)

Keywords: Bangladesh; coping capacity; flood risk; protection motivation; threat appraisal

Date Created: 20220923 Date Completed: 20220926 Latest Revision: 20230117

20240104

PMC9517618

10.3390/ijerph191811372

36141647