IMPROVING NEW STUDENTS’ DISASTER PREPAREDNESS THROUGH HEALTH EDUCATION AND SIMULATION USING THE CAMPUS DISASTER SCENARIO BOOK

Abstract

Padang is an area with a very high risk of earthquakes and tsunamis. The campus environment, as a public space with a high density of occupants, faces the same risk. New students are a vulnerable group because they are not yet familiar with the campus environment, evacuation routes, or emergency-response procedures. This community service activity aims to improve new students’ knowledge and disaster preparedness through health education combined with demonstration and simulation using the video material of the Campus Disaster Scenario Book. The activity was carried out using lecture and demonstration methods, attended by 33 new students of the Diploma III Nursing Study Program of Baiturrahmah Nursing Academy. Evaluation was conducted on knowledge (pretest–posttest) and evacuation-practice skills. The evaluation results showed that health education combined with demonstration and simulation using the Campus Disaster Scenario Book was able to improve new students’ disaster-preparedness knowledge. The number of participants in the good knowledge category increased from 8 (24.2%) before the activity to 29 (87.9%) afterward. Conversely, the poor knowledge category, which initially comprised 7 participants (21.2%), was no longer found after the intervention. The mean knowledge score also increased from 61.8 to 86.7. In the practice evaluation, more than 90% of participants were able to follow the evacuation route and reach the assembly point according to procedure. This health-education and simulation activity was proven effective in improving new students’ disaster preparedness and is recommended for integration into new-student orientation.