Schoolchildren's earthquake knowledge, preparedness, and risk perception of a seismic-prone region of Mexico

The paper presents results of a cross-sectional study regarding schoolchildren's seismic risk perception, awareness, and preparedness in a sample size of 817 in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The approach is the application of a questionnaire survey. The main conclusion is that schoolchildren considered in the study are vulnerable to earthquakes due to the lack of a seismic education program. Some relevant results are summarized as follows: (1) over 50% of schoolchildren reported little fear, about 25% reported a lot of fear during earthquakes, and 19.4% reported low levels of perceived coping abilities; (2) male children get less afraid and show an increased degree of belief in their ability to cope emotionally with earthquakes than females; (3) about 50% of schoolchildren showed deficiencies in knowledge about earthquakes; (4) older schoolchildren (fifth to sixth grade) are more knowledgeable on earthquakes than younger ones (third to fourth grade); (5) a significant number of schoolchildren are not well prepared for what to do before, during, and after an earthquake; and (6) in general, urban schoolchildren are better prepared toward earthquakes than semi-rural schoolchildren.