Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 5, 2026
Author Spotlight: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Movement Observation in Cerebral Palsy
Published on: August 9, 2024
Evaluating implementation of a fire-prevention injury prevention briefing in children's centres: Cluster randomised
Toity Deave1, Adrian Hawkins2, Arun Kumar3
1Centre for Child & Adolescent Health, Health & Applied Sciences, University of the West of England Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Insights
Implementing an Injury Prevention Briefing (IPB) in children's centres improved home fire safety behaviors among families in disadvantaged communities. While not significantly increasing fire escape plans, the intervention promoted safer practices.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Injury Prevention
- Child Safety
Background:
- High rates of fire-related child mortality exist in developed nations, disproportionately affecting socially disadvantaged populations.
- Existing evidence-based fire safety interventions have not been widely assessed for their impact within children's services.
- An Injury Prevention Briefing (IPB) was developed, integrating effective fire safety strategies and delivery best practices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the implementation of an Injury Prevention Briefing (IPB) intervention in children's centres serving disadvantaged communities.
- To assess the impact of the IPB, with and without facilitation, on fire safety practices among families.
- To determine if children's centres can effectively deliver injury prevention programs.
Main Methods:
- A cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted across four English study sites involving 36 children's centres.
- Centres were randomised into three arms: IPB plus facilitation (IPB+), IPB only, or usual care.
- Data collected included parent and staff questionnaires, facilitation logs, activity records, and interviews, with primary outcome being possession of a fire escape plan.
Main Results:
- No significant difference was found in families possessing fire escape plans between intervention and control groups.
- Families in both IPB arms reported significantly more fire escape behaviors compared to the usual care group.
- The intervention demonstrated feasibility in children's centres within disadvantaged areas.
Conclusions:
- Children's centres are viable settings for delivering injury prevention interventions to families in disadvantaged communities.
- The IPB intervention successfully promoted positive home fire safety behaviors.
- Further research may explore optimizing the intervention for increased adoption of fire escape plans.
Background:
Many developed countries have high mortality rates for fire-related deaths in children aged 0-14 years with steep social gradients. Evidence-based interventions to promote fire safety practices exist, but the impact of implementing a range of these interventions in children's services has not been assessed. We developed an Injury Prevention Briefing (IPB), which brought together evidence about effective fire safety interventions and good practice in delivering interventions; plus training and facilitation to support its use and evaluated its implementation.
Methods:
We conducted a cluster randomised controlled trial, with integrated qualitative and cost-effectiveness nested studies, across four study sites in England involving children's centres in disadvantaged areas; participants were staff and families attending those centres. Centres were stratified by study site and randomised within strata to one of three arms: IPB plus facilitation (IPB+), IPB only, usual care. IPB+ centres received initial training and facilitation at months 1, 3, and 8. Baseline data from children's centres were collected between August 2011 and January 2012 and follow-up data were collected between June 2012 and June 2013. Parent baseline data were collected between January 2012 and May 2012 and follow-up data between May 2013 and September 2013. Data comprised baseline and 12 month parent- and staff-completed questionnaires, facilitation contact data, activity logs and staff interviews. The primary outcome was whether families had a plan for escaping from a house fire. Treatment arms were compared using multilevel models to account for clustering by children's centre.
Results:
1112 parents at 36 children's centres participated. There was no significant effect of the intervention on families' possession of plans for escaping from a house fire (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) IPB only vs. usual care: 0.93, 95%CI 0.58, 1.49; AOR IPB+ vs. usual care 1.41, 95%CI 0.91, 2.20). However, significantly more families in the intervention arms reported more behaviours for escaping from house fires (AOR IPB only vs. usual care: 2.56, 95%CI 01.38, 4.76; AOR IPB+ vs. usual care 1.78, 95%CI 1.01, 3.15).
Conclusion:
Our study demonstrated that children's centres can deliver an injury prevention intervention to families in disadvantaged communities and achieve changes in home safety behaviours.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
02:59Cancer Prevention
Some...