Validation and Revision of the Household Emergency Preparedness Instrument (HEPI) by a Pilot Study in the City University of New York

Abstract

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to pilot test the Household Emergency Preparedness Instrument (HEPI) with a diverse sample, allowing for assessment of reliability and validity of the instrument. The HEPI is an international, all-hazards questionnaire created to measure disaster preparedness of households, which results in data that can be used to enhance health promotion/disease prevention for individuals and promote resilience for communities. Methods: A cross-sectional study of faculty, staff, and students (N = 284) was completed to perform factor analysis to establish the HEPI’s construct validity and compare preparedness across groups. Results: The factor analysis revealed 2 dimensions of general preparedness, explaining 35% of the sample variance (Cronbach’s α = 0.89): preparedness actions and planning (α = 0.86) and disaster supplies and resources (α = 0.80). This factor analysis resulted in the revision of the subscaling of HEPI questions. Consistent with previous studies, faculty/staff, older age, higher income, and those with previous disaster experience were more prepared. The mean score was 15.28 out of 40 points. Conclusions: The HEPI is easy to administer and explains an acceptable amount of variance. The reliability was strong in this assessment, particularly for a pilot test. Construct, criterion, face, and content validity support the adequacy of the HEPI to capture essentials of household emergency preparedness.