Evaluation of environmental health experts’ awareness in East Azerbaijan province about health issues related to the time of natural disasters

Introduction: Natural disasters are one of the threatening factors to the human health worldwide including Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness of environmental health experts in East Azerbaijan Province regarding health issues in natural disasters. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted among ۱۴۴ environmental health specialists (including ۵۲.۱% from Tabriz and ۴۷.۹% from other districts) who were randomly selected form East Azerbaijan Province in Northwest Iran. The validity and reliability of questionnaires were determined and then questionnaires were distributed among experts for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Findings: Significant differences were found between the awareness of participants in Tabriz and other districts of the province. Significant differences were also found between the level of education and place of service. No significant difference was found between age and history of employment in health centers. Conclusion: The results suggest the effect of education on the awareness of experts regarding health issues in natural disasters. Preventive measures should be targeted at promotion of scientific level of staff in health services by training courses or recruiting new experts and considering related facilities to continue their education. These measures can lead to reduced injuries or mortality rate due to lack of awareness in natural disasters.  

کلیدواژه ها:

Environmental health ، natural disasters ، East Azerbaijan ، بهداشت محیط ، بلایای طبیعی ، آذربایجان شرقی.