1Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, Health Human Resources Research Center, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
2Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
3English Department, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
4MSc Student in Gerontology, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Psychiatric Institute), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
چکیده
Introduction: Accidents and disasters are among the major public health challenges, and the elderly are especially vulnerable to their consequences due to their reduced physical and mental capabilities. With the growing elderly population in Iran and worldwide, identifying the factors that affect accidents in this population seems essential. However, there is a lack of in-depth qualitative studies that explore the subjective perception of preparedness among the elderly, particularly in the Iranian context. Therefore, this study was conducted to gain a comprehensive understanding of how elderly individuals perceive their own preparedness for accidents and disasters. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using content analysis in Fars province in 2025. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used, and 15 elderly people over 65 years of age were selected from health centers, nursing homes, and elderly care centers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and then analyzed using Graneheim & Lundman's method. The analysis process involved carefully reading transcripts, extracting meaning units, condensing, coding, and forming categories. Results: The results indicated that the elderly's perception of preparedness was influenced by factors including continuous education (with subthemes of lack of trained personnel, family training, and lifelong learning), mental health (psychological and social support, resilience, acceptance), scene management (warning systems, incident command, information sources), injury prevention strategies (crowd control, safe infrastructure, shelter), cultural challenges in disaster response (formerly "presence of immigrants"), and increased fear and panic (exacerbated by rumors). At least two to three supporting quotations per theme were provided in the full results section. Conclusion: According to the results, the elderly considered several factors that influenced their preparedness. Continuous training and psychological support are effective in reducing vulnerability, but a lack of educational resources and weak warning systems were identified as the main obstacles. This study contributes a novel, context-specific understanding of how cultural and social factors (e.g., immigrant-related challenges and rumor-induced panic) uniquely shape the Iranian elderly's preparedness perceptions, which has not been adequately addressed in prior quantitative or qualitative studies in Iran
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