فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background: Using the adjective “natural” with “disaster” can result in neglecting human-made vulnerabilities. In Iran, applying the “natural disaster” term is almost common in all disaster management settings. The present study is aimed to explore the aspects/dimensions of the “disasters are not natural” approach in the context of Iran and then suggest implications for the health system in regard to the findings. Methods: The current research is a qualitative study utilizing conventional content analysis. 19 participants were purposively selected, and data were gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data analysis occurred concurrently with data collection, following the content analysis method outlined by Graneheim and Lundman.Results: Human roles and interventions theme, as well as five categories and 16 subcategories, were extracted from data. The categories include environmental degradation (e.g., deforestation/desertification), economic vulnerability (e.g., poverty and economic difficulties), political/governance vulnerability (e.g., reactive approach to disasters), socio-cultural barriers (e.g., religious beliefs), and vulnerability of disaster management infrastructure (e.g., insufficient educational resources and programs).Conclusion: This study highlights the human roles in disasters and the critical need for re-consideration of applying the “natural disasters” term. Using “disasters” instead of “natural disasters” can be facilitated through the increase in community-based programs and interventions such as education and training, public awareness, and exercises.