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Publications
It is always a happy day when your research gets published... Here are some highlights
COVID-19
The failure of decision-makers to appropriately address the economic constraints imposed on the public during prolonged disasters, such as the COVID-19 outbreak, is likely to lead to a reduction in public trust in the government and a decrease in societal resilience.
Social resilience and trust are two primary components of mitigating the spread of contagious diseases. Although measures such as the imposition of national lockdowns and self-quarantines have been proven effective in reducing morbidity, their efficacy depends on public trust and compliance. The purpose of this study was to assess public attitudes toward the COVID-19 outbreak over the course of a year. A cohort study of the adult population in Israel was conducted during three waves of COVID-19 morbidity in that country, with February 2020 as the baseline, March 2020 as the first wave, August 2020 as the second, and January 2021 as the third. The results suggest a relationship between risk perception and compliance with health regulations. Moreover, trust is a significant component of public compliance. Fluctuations in risk perception and trust were found to affect compliance with regulations.
Disaster Risk Reduction
Given the depth of difference across hazard types, we should contemplate the implications on the architecture of disaster planning and response
For decades, the All-Hazards Approach has been the principle framework of disaster planners. According to this approach, different hazard scenarios share commonalities and should be managed with standard hazard mitigation and preparedness plans. The All-Hazards approach presents several arguable advantages; yet, when tested against reality, it often fails to deliver optimal results in terms of public preparedness. Despite best intentions, this framework has inherent weaknesses, notably the artificial consolidation of dramatically different hazard scenarios. Given the depth of difference across hazard types, we should contemplate the implications on disaster planning and response architecture. Here we argue for an alternative approach, the Top-Hazards Approach, which delineates that hazards should be prioritized according to local risk indicators and then differentially dealt with so that top-ranking hazards are given priority in preparedness and planning activities. The Top-Hazard Approach retains some of the critical benefits of the All-Hazards Approach, namely cost-effectiveness while offering a more robust framework for achieving better levels of preparedness
Disaster planning and policy
Wisdom of (using) the crowds: Enhancing disasters preparedness through public training in Light Search and Rescue
Following significant earthquakes, the vast majority of trapped survivors are rescued by laypersons within the first 24–48 h. Most trapped individuals require only Light Search and Rescue (LSR). Therefore, there is a sense of training public members in LSR competencies to upsurge survivability rates. Light Search and Rescue training for Israeli high-school students was performed. The training was beneficial in improving resilience, self-efficacy, and knowledge. The effect of the training on these measurements ranges from medium to high. Participants finish the training with equally high levels of performance.
Epidemiology of trauma
Electric bikes and motorized scooters - Popularity and burden of injury. Ten years of National trauma registry experience.
Electric bikes (E-bikes) and motorized scooters (M-scooters) have become extremely popular worldwide and in Israel. Increased injury-related hospitalizations have followed this change among these road users. The findings of this study indicate a worrying trend of an increase in trauma injuries associated with using e-tools. As these modes of transportation become, more popular and legislative changes have been introduced which have restricted these tools to utilization on roads where the potential of colliding with a motorized vehicle increases, it is expected that the number of injuries will continue to grow. There is a need for interventions to increase awareness for these vulnerable road users to improve riding behaviors and enforce helmet usage.