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

PurposeTo 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.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Data sourcesMEDLINE, EMBASE and PubMed databases were searched from January 1998 to July 2018, and studies retrieved.ParticipantsToddlers, children (primary or secondary school), teenagers or adults.Interventions/ComparisonHFS interventions compared to other interventions / no interventions / controls.OutcomesHFS knowledge and behaviour.Results10 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 ConclusionThe limited evidence supports the use of HFS interventions to improve HFS knowledge and behaviour in children, families with children and adults.