Estimating the proportion of homes with functioning smoke alarms: a comparison of telephone survey and household survey results.
M R Douglas,
S Mallonee and
G R Istre
Oklahoma State Department of Health, Injury Prevention Service, Oklahoma City, OK 73117-1299, USA.
OBJECTIVES: This study determined the proportion of homes withfunctioning smoke alarms in a low-income area experiencing ahigh rate of residential fire-related injuries. METHODS: Anon-site survey of households was conducted to confirm the resultsof a telephone survey. RESULTS: In the telephone survey, 71%of households reported having functioning smoke alarms. In thehousehold survey, 66% of households reported having functioningalarms; however, when the alarms were tested, the percentagedropped to 49%. CONCLUSIONS: Telephone surveys may overestimatethe presence of functioning smoke alarms in some populations.Thus, the use of telephone surveys to establish baseline measurescould significantly affect the evaluation of smoke-alarm giveawayprograms.
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