Natural disaster prevention literacy education among Vietnamese high school students

Research has shown that natural disasters can be prevented or mitigated effectively through education which provides knowledge and skills for the young generation to protect themselves and act to protect the community. The current study investigated the level of natural-disaster-prevention literacy and analyzed its predictors among high school students in Vietnam. This study adopted a cross-sectional school-based design, using an online survey. There were 807 students from seven public schools participating in this study. The results show that the natural-disaster-prevention knowledge, perception, skills, and overall literacy are above average, with knowledge having the highest score. Significant differences exist in natural-disaster-prevention literacy and its components by gender, grade, location, and residence. Age, location, residence, knowledge, and perception can predict participants’ skills of natural-disaster prevention. This study highlights the necessity of teaching natural-disaster prevention in schools, across grades, and focusing on providing the students with the knowledge and perception needed to improve their natural-disaster-prevention skills. This will contribute to helping the country meet the goal of education for sustainable development.