A Cross-Sectional Study of the Disaster Preparedness of Students from the University of the Philippines Diliman

The Philippines is a disaster-prone country due to its geographical location. Hence, it is important for Filipino university students to be prepared during a disaster. This study aims to know whether there is a difference between UP Diliman undergraduate students with and without Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) training. Using a cross-sectional mixed-method approach, students with DRR training (n=78) and without training (n=67) were asked to answer the questionnaire adapted from Tuladhar and colleagues (2015). A Focus Group Discussion was done to substantiate the data. Statistical analysis using SPSS 23 revealed that despite the significant differences between the group of students with and without DRR training, the effect is rather small. Thematic analysis using Qualyzer revealed significant themes on disaster knowledge, preparedness and readiness behaviors, adaptation, awareness, and risk perception. It is recommended to reexamine DRR training in UP Diliman for effectiveness and explore other means of training for students.