title: Measuring behaviours for escaping from house fires: use of latent variable models to summarise multiple behaviours.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This paper reports the development and testing of a construct measuring parental fire safety behaviours for planning escape from a house fire.
  
  
  METHODS
  Latent variable modelling of data on parental-reported fire safety behaviours and plans for escaping from a house fire and multivariable logistic regression to quantify the association between groups defined by the latent variable modelling and parental-report of having a plan for escaping from a house fire. Data comes from 1112 participants in a cluster randomised controlled trial set in children's centres in 4 study centres in the UK.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A two class model provided the best fit to the data, combining responses to five fire safety planning behaviours. The first group ('more behaviours for escaping from a house fire') comprised 86% of participants who were most likely to have a torch, be aware of how their smoke alarm sounds, to have external door and window keys accessible, and exits clear. The second group ('fewer behaviours for escaping from a house fire') comprised 14% of participants who were less likely to report these five behaviours. After adjusting for potential confounders, participants allocated to the 'more behaviours for escaping from a house fire group were 2.5 times more likely to report having an escape plan (OR 2.48; 95% CI 1.59-3.86) than those in the "fewer behaviours for escaping from a house fire" group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple fire safety behaviour questions can be combined into a single binary summary measure of fire safety behaviours for escaping from a house fire. Our findings will be useful to future studies wishing to use a single measure of fire safety planning behaviour as measures of outcome or exposure.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  NCT 01452191. Date of registration 13/10/2011.
authors.affiliation: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Room 150, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK. george.ploubidis@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Ploubidis
authors.affiliation: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Room 150, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK. Phil.Edwards@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.affiliation: Division of Primary Care, School of Medicine, Tower Building, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. D.Kendrick@nottingham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kendrick
mesh_terms: D000056:Accident Prevention / Q000379:methods; D000061:Accidents, Home / Q000517:prevention & control; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002056:Burns / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002656:Child Day Care Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005390:Fires / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D015208:Smoke Inhalation Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult