Culturally Embedded Disaster Education and Intergenerational Preparedness Effects: Evidence from a Disaster Prevention Maena-Based Project on Nias Island, Indonesia

Abstract

Disaster risk reduction education for children is increasingly recognized as an effective tool to enhance household resilience. This study evaluates a child-centered disaster risk reduction education project implemented on Nias Island, Indonesia, a region highly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis. The intervention integrated disaster preparedness messages into Maena, a traditional communal dance of Nias, embedding risk-reduction learning within local cultural practice. Using a quasi-experimental pre–post design with matched survey data (children: n=1,242; parents: n=415), statistically significant improvements were observed in children’s disaster knowledge and parental awareness and preparedness behaviors. Notably, household preparedness measures increased from 55.2% to 78.8% among parents (χ²=67.6, p<0.001). These findings provide quantitative evidence of intergenerational spillover effects, indicating that culturally grounded child-centered disaster education can transcend classrooms to strengthen family-level and community resilience.

Children performing Disaster Prevention Maena