'The Effect of Virtual Reality Use on Disaster Literacy, Disaster Readiness and Disaster Resilience in Adults Living in Rural Areas: A Randomised Controlled Study

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of natural disasters and the loss of life and property caused by disasters in the world and in Turkey. Turkey is a country where tectonic strata are commonly found. Besides, it has various natural disaster risks considering its geological features, topography and meteorological conditions. According to the statistics of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) for 2022, the natural disaster events that occurred in 2022 were as follows: 18 avalanches, 21,054 earthquakes, 859 landslides, 137 rock falls, 13 sinkholes, 450 floods/floods and 451 others, totalling 22,982. Considering the high physical and social vulnerability of Turkey, these disasters cause a high number of deaths, injuries and material losses. The solution to minimise the negative impacts of disasters is to be prepared for future disasters. For this reason, there is a need for raising awareness of the society about disasters and disaster risk avoidance skills known as disaster literacy. Disaster literacy is defined as the degree to which individuals read, understand and use information to make informed decisions and follow instructions in the context of mitigation, preparation, response and recovery. In the last decade, virtual reality-based training in disaster preparedness has been increasingly recognised as an important and new alternative to the traditional methods of real-life drills and tabletop exercises. Many studies have described various applications of virtual reality in disaster training. In 2001, Freeman et al. published the use of a virtual reality patient simulation system to teach emergency response skills to US Navy medical personnel. In 2007, a virtual simulation-enhanced triage training for Iraqi medical personnel was described. The following year, immersive simulation for training first responders to mass casualty incidents,mass casualty triage skills using immersive three-dimensional virtual reality, and critical care skills during mass casualty drills. The equivalence of VR simulators with live actor-patient use in directing actions has been demonstrated and simulation for team training and assessment using virtual worlds. In 2009, game-based mass casualty burn training was proposed.In 2011, Cone et al. published a comparison of SALT and SMART triage systems using a virtual reality simulator with paramedic students. Finally, virtual simulation as a teaching method for nursing students has been shown to reinforce learning and improve retention of learning over time.

Pre-disaster mitigation and preparedness activities are essential to reduce vulnerability in a community and protect people when disasters occur. Although disaster preparedness and protective behaviours have attracted the attention of scholars worldwide, there is no significant study on the preparedness, disaster literacy and disaster resilience of rural households. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of virtual reality use on disaster literacy, disaster preparedness and individual disaster resilience in adults living in rural areas.