Smoke alarm installation and function in inner London council housing.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of and predictors for installed, functioning smoke alarms in council (public) housing in a low income, multi-ethnic urban area.


METHODS
Cross sectional study.


METHODS
40 materially deprived electoral wards in two inner London boroughs.


METHODS
Occupants of 315 addresses randomly selected from council housing lists, with 75% response rate.


METHODS
Installation and function of smoke alarms based on inspection and testing.


RESULTS
39% (95% confidence interval (CI) 33% to 46%) of council tenants owned a smoke alarm, 31% (95% CI 25% to 38%) had an installed alarm (of which 54% were correctly installed), and 16% (95% CI 12% to 22%) had at least one installed, functioning alarm. Alarms most commonly failed because they lacked batteries (72%). In multivariate modelling, having an installed, functioning alarm was most strongly associated with living in a house versus a flat (apartment) (odds ratio (OR) 3.2, 95% CI 1.1 to 10.0), having two resident adults versus one (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.2 to 6.5), and recognising stills from a Home Office television smoke alarm campaign (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.1 to 5.5).


CONCLUSIONS
Fires are a leading cause of child injury and death, particularly among those younger than 5 years of age and those in social classes IV and V. Smoke alarms are associated with a significantly reduced risk of death in residential fires, and are more protective in households with young children. Few council properties in a multi-ethnic, materially deprived urban area had any installed, functioning smoke alarms, despite a high risk of residential fires and fire related injuries in such areas. Effective methods to increase the prevalence of installed and functioning alarms must be identified.
DiGuiseppi
C
C
Child Health Monitoring Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
Roberts
I
I
Speirs
N
N
D000056:Accident Prevention; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005390:Fires; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D011204:Poverty Areas; D011482:Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011638:Public Housing; D012906:Smoke; D014504:Urban Health
D012906:Smoke