Effectiveness of home fire safety interventions. A systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose To assess the effectiveness of Home Fire Safety (HFS) interventions versus other interventions/no interventions/controls on HFS knowledge and behaviour at short-, intermediate- and long-term follow ups. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Data sources MEDLINE, EMBASE and PubMed databases were searched from January 1998 to July 2018, and studies retrieved. Participants Toddlers, children (primary or secondary school), teenagers or adults. Interventions/Comparison HFS interventions compared to other interventions / no interventions / controls. Outcomes HFS knowledge and behaviour. Results 10 studies were identified (8 RCTs and 2 prospective cohort). Two studies assessed the effects of HFS interventions vs no interventions on HFS knowledge at up to 4 months follow up in school children and demonstrated significant difference between groups (very low quality, 2 RCTs, 535 participants, SMD 0.38, 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.55, p < 0.001). One study examined the effects of different modes of HFS interventions (computer-based vs instructor-led) on HFS knowledge and behaviour immediately post-intervention in adults and displayed no significant difference between groups (HFS knowledge; very low quality, 1 RCT, 68 participants, SMD -0.02, 95% CI: -0.50 to 0.45, p = 0.92) and (HFS behaviour; very low quality, 1 RCT, 68 participants, SMD 0.06, 95% CI: -0.41 to 0.54, p = 0.79) respectively. Conclusion The limited evidence supports the use of HFS interventions to improve HFS knowledge and behaviour in children, families with children and adults.