Speaker
Description
Background
A disaster is defined as “a situation or event, which overwhelms local capacity, necessitating a request to a national or international level for external assistance; an unforeseen and often sudden event that causes great damage, destruction, and human suffering” by the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (Choi et al, 2022, citing CRED, 2017). As the largest healthcare provider group, nurses play critical roles in holistically caring for injured people and their families throughout the four phases of disaster management (Al Harthi, 2020). This research aimed to determine whether respondent nurses deem Physical Fitness (Health [Normal Body Mass Index], Well-Being [Absence of Morbidities], and Physical Activity [Good Ability to Swim]) to affect their willingness to respond or report to work amidst a disaster.
As to Health, a Normal Body Mass Index (BMI) is chosen as an objective definition because it is a reliable assessment of a person’s nutritional and health status that applies to both adult men and women (Mohajan & Mohajan, 2023). Within limits, BMI is a quick and straightforward way to determine if one’s weight falls within a healthy range: 18.5 <BMI <29.9 (Bray, 2023); it calculates an individual’s body weight in relation to their height (Muscogiuri et al, 2023), universally expressed in units of kg/m2, resulting from mass in kilograms and height in meters (Haslam, 2005). Reporting to work in the midst of a disaster would require a certain level of agility that obese people in particular may not possess. Kung et al’s (2020) research on 3,863 respondents in Taiwan revealed that an abnormally high BMI is associated with less explosive power, muscular endurance, and flexibility.
Well-being, a multifaceted construct defined by the Centers of Disease Control as “the absence of negative emotions” (Bautista et al, 2023), is in this research operationally defined as the absence of morbidities. Morbidities refers to presence of any, some, or all of the following conditions, or conditions similar thereto, in respondent: [1] Hypertension, [2] Diabetes Mellitus, [3] Osteoporosis. The presence of morbidities among respondents may discourage their willingness to respond in a disaster. This is so because morbidities make people vulnerable in disaster situations (Jenkins et al, 2014).
As to Physical Activity, Good Ability to Swim is used as the objective
measure because in the Philippines, one of the most common natural disasters is typhoon-related flooding (Gray et al, 2022). An analysis of 18,515 pieces of data in Taiwan by Tsai & Hsu (2022) revealed that level of swimming ability was significantly correlated with regular exercise habits. Swimming increases muscle tone and strength, and causes flexibility improvements (Bure, 2019). Being able to swim empowers individuals to make choices, have agency, and be free to choose core aspects of their life, as such working safely on or near water (Borgonovi et al, 2022).
Objectives
This research aimed to determine whether respondent nurses’ deem Physical Fitness (Health [Normal BMI], Well-Being [Absence of Morbidities], and Physical Activity [Good Ability to Swim]) to affect their willingness to respond or report to work amidst a disaster. In particular, the objectives of this study are as follows:
(a) To determine whether Health (defined as Normal Body Mass Index [BMI]) affect respondents’ willingness to respond or report to work amidst a disaster;
(b) To determine whether Wellness (defined as Absence of Morbidities) affect respondents’ willingness to respond or report to work amidst a disaster;
(c) To determine whether Physical Activity (defined as Good Ability to Swim) affect respondents’ willingness to respond or report to work amidst a disaster;
(d) To determine whether there is significant relationship between respondents' demographic profile and their willingness to respond or report to work amidst a disaster.
Methods
This 2023 research utilized a descriptive-correlational approach and convenience sampling method. For the respondents, forty (40) registered nurses from Gregorio T. Lluch Memorial Hospital (GTLMH) Iligan City, and forty (40) registered nurses from elsewhere in Iligan City, were selected and were given a modified questionnaire as inspired by that of Goodhue et al’s (2012) research. The questionnaire retained the format of multiple choice, fill-in, and Likert-scale questions related to disaster preparedness.
The research instrument and paper were submitted for evaluation to the ethics committee under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension (OVCRE) of MSU-IIT. Informed consent has been required from respondents; they were provided with a brief and concise written description of the research and its objective; and an assurance that any personal data gained from them would be anonymized, and would not be made public at any time, and would be deleted after the research is completed. Any personal data gathered was also safely stored in an encrypted software.
Results
As to Health (defined as normal Body Mass Index [BMI]), 27.5% (22) of the respondents answered they would not respond to a disaster if their BMI is abnormal.
As to Wellness (defined as Absence of Morbidities), 31.3% (25) of the respondents answered they would not respond to a disaster if they have existing morbidities.
As to Physical Activity (defined as Good Ability to Swim), 66.3% (53) of the respondents answered that they would not respond to a disaster involving flooding if they do not have Good Ability to Swim.
Chi-Square Analyses of the hypothetical Physical Fitness Variables reveal that since X 30.07 > Tabular Value of 0.103, the null hypothesis is rejected; indicating that there is significant association between Physical Fitness variables (Health, Wellness, and Physical Activity) and respondents’ willingness to respond or report to work amidst a disaster.
Standard Regression Coefficient Analyses of the other (non-hypothetical) demographic variables of age, gender, civil status, religion, number of children, assigned areas, training, and high salary were all determined to be non-significant predictors of willingness to respond to or report to work during a disaster, as evidenced by their p-values over 0.05. Overall, only 28.7% (23) have a very high likelihood to respond or report to work amidst a disaster.
Conclusion
From the foregoing, it can be discerned that respondent nurses deem Physical Fitness Variables of Health (as defined as Normal BMI), Wellness (as defined as Absence of Morbidities), and Physical Activity (as defined as Good Ability to Swim) to exert a significant influence on their willingness to respond or report to work amidst a disaster. Hospitals should have exercise centers for employees, perhaps offer swimming lessons, and incorporate free medical check-ups for personnels.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the Good Nurses and Administrators of Gregorio T. Lluch Memorial Hospital.
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