Smoke alarms promotion programs to reduce the risk and/or occurrence of injuries

Conclusion: Strong indications for effectiveness

Smoke detector give away programmes have proven successful when high-risk neighbourhoods are targeted and multifaceted community campaigns have the specific objective of installation of working smoke detectors.

Smoke detector multi component promotion programmes (combining free give-away, councelling, house visits can lead to behavioural change and injury reduction.

Recommendations (for research & practice)

Combine the distribution (preferable for free) of smoke alarms with proper education and guideliness and make sure the alarms are installed in the right way (and with batteries).
Important elements of community-based approaches are long-term strategy showing commitment to the issue, effective focused leadership, multi-agency collaboration, involvement of the local community, appropriate targeting and time to develop a range of local networks and programmes.

Review Date: 14/06/2007
Version: 1.0
Status: Provisional statement

Procedure
This evidence statement is based on information of the Good Practice Guide of the Child Safety Alliance. In this document the 'Good Practice' and related statement are defined as:

1) A prevention strategy that has been evaluated and found to be effective (either through a systematic review or at least one rigorous evaluation) OR
2) A prevention strategy where rigorous evaluation is difficult but expert opinion supports the practice and data suggest it is an effective strategy (e.g., use of personal floatation devices (PFD) to prevent drowning) OR
3) A prevention strategy where rigorous evaluation is difficult but expert opinion supports the practice and there is a clear link between the strategy and reduced risk but a less clear link between the strategy and reduced injuries (e.g., secure storage of poisonings) AND
4) The strategy in question has been implemented in a real world setting so that the practicality of the intervention has also been examined.

Background documents

Child Safety Good Practice Guide : good investments in unintential child injury prevention and safety promotion (version 1)
M. MacKay, J. Vincenten, M. Brussoni, L. Towner ...[et al.] (2006)

Updating the evidence : a systematic review of what works in preventing childhood unintentional injuries : part 2 (version 1.0)
E. Towner, T. Dowswell, S. Jarvis (2001)

Modification of the home environment for the reduction of injuries (version 1)
R.A. Lyons, L.V. Sander, A.L. Weightman ... [et al.] (2006)

Evaluated community fire safety interventions in the United States : a review of current literature
V.M. Ta, S. Frattaroli, G. Bergen...[et al] (2006)