Beyond Awareness: A Health Belief Model Analysis of Household Flood Preparedness among Residents of Flood-Prone Barangays in Cagayan de Oro City

Despite substantial investments in flood-control infrastructure and disaster risk reduction programs, limited evidence exists on the behavioral factors associated with household flood preparedness in flood-prone communities. Addressing a gap in local disaster research, this study integrated perspectives from behavioral psychology, community health, and disaster risk reduction through the Health Belief Model (HBM) to examine the relationship between HBM constructs and household flood preparedness among residents of the flood-prone barangays of Carmen, Balulang, and Macasandig in Cagayan de Oro City. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was employed among 395 household respondents selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire that underwent content validation and pilot testing and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation, multiple linear regression, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Welch’s t-test. Findings revealed significant positive relationships between all seven HBM constructs and household flood-preparedness scores (p < .001), with self-efficacy showing the strongest bivariate association (r = .670), followed by cues to action (r = .621), perceived benefits (r = .613), and health motivation (r = .597). Multiple linear regression showed that the seven HBM constructs collectively accounted for 59.7% of the variance in household flood-preparedness scores (R² = .597, adjusted R² = .590, F(7, 387) = 81.85, p < .001). Self-efficacy (β = .374, p < .001), cues to action (β = .258, p < .001), perceived benefits (β = .225, p < .001), and health motivation (β = .100, p = .049) made statistically significant independent contributions, whereas perceived susceptibility (p = .999), perceived severity (p = .315), and perceived barriers (p = .520) were not statistically significant. One-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in household flood-preparedness scores according to monthly household income, F(3, 391) = 3.12, p = .026, while Welch’s t-test showed a significant difference according to previous typhoon experience, t = 2.38, p = .018. The findings highlight the relevance of practical self-efficacy, timely cues to action, perceived benefits, and health motivation in understanding household flood preparedness, while recognizing that the cross-sectional design does not establish causal relationships.