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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Disability Studies

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University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

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2015

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Barriers To Disaster Preparedness Among Medical Special Needs Populations, Leslie Meyer, Kristina Vatcheva, Stephanie Castellanos, Belinda M. Reininger Sep 2015

Barriers To Disaster Preparedness Among Medical Special Needs Populations, Leslie Meyer, Kristina Vatcheva, Stephanie Castellanos, Belinda M. Reininger

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

A medical special needs (MSN) assessment was conducted among 3088 respondents in a hurricane prone area. The sample was female (51.7%), Hispanic (92.9%), aged >45 years (51%), not insured for health (59.2%), and with an MSN (33.2%). Barriers to preparedness were characterized for all households, including those with inhabitants reporting MSN ranging from level 0 (mild) to level 4 (most severe). Multivariable logistic regression tested associations between hurricane preparedness and barriers to evacuation by level of MSN. A significant interaction effect between number of evacuation barriers and MSN was found. Among households that reported individuals with level 0 MSN, the …