Paper:
Culturally Embedded Disaster Education and Intergenerational Preparedness Effects: Evidence from a Disaster Prevention Maena-Based Project on Nias Island, Indonesia
Iwao Kato*,, Bambang Rudyanto*, and Kenichi Ishibashi**
*Faculty of Economics and Business, Wako University
5-1-1 Kanaigaoka, Machida, Tokyo 195-8585, Japan
Corresponding author
**Department of Policy Studies, Aichi Gakuin University
Nisshin, Japan
Disaster risk reduction education for children is increasingly recognized as an effective tool to enhance household resilience. This study evaluates a child-centered disaster risk reduction education project implemented on Nias Island, Indonesia, a region highly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis. The intervention integrated disaster preparedness messages into Maena, a traditional communal dance of Nias, embedding risk-reduction learning within local cultural practice. Using a quasi-experimental pre–post design with matched survey data (children: n=1,242; parents: n=415), statistically significant improvements were observed in children’s disaster knowledge and parental awareness and preparedness behaviors. Notably, household preparedness measures increased from 55.2% to 78.8% among parents (χ2=67.6, p<0.001). These findings provide quantitative evidence of intergenerational spillover effects, indicating that culturally grounded child-centered disaster education can transcend classrooms to strengthen family-level and community resilience.
Children performing Disaster Prevention Maena
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