Skip to main content
. 2012 Sep 12;2012(9):CD005014. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD005014.pub3

Swart 2008.

Methods RCT (C)
Allocation at level of blocks of households
Participants Households with children <= 10 years old living in low‐income communities
Interventions I = 4 home visits focusing on child development and the prevention of burns, poisoning and falls and providing safety education + free safety devices (child proof locks and paraffin container safety caps).
C = usual care
Outcomes Outcomes measured at 2 weeks:
Paraffin stove used as heater. I = 28/189 C = 21/188; OR 1.65 (0.46 to 5.84)
Paraffin stove filled whilst warm. I = 19/189 C = 18/188; OR 1.13 (0.44 to 2.89)
Paraffin heater < 30cm from flammable material. I = 8/189 C = 4/188; OR 2.02 (0.60 to 6.83)
Paraffin heater on unstable surface. I = 0/189 C = 2/188; OR not calculable
Paraffin cooker < 30cm from flammable material. I = 39/189 C = 22/188; OR 2.39 (0.53 to 10.82)
Paraffin cooker on unstable surface. I = 7/189 C = 5/188; OR 1.40 (0.44 to 4.49)
Paraffin lamp < 30cm from flammable material. I = 12/189 C = 17/188; OR 0.60 (0.13 to 2.82)
Paraffin lamp on unstable surface. I = 31/189 C = 45/188; OR 0.53 (0.19 to 1.45)
Paraffin appliances on when family sleeping. I = 79/189 C = 69/188; OR 2.03 (0.57 to 7.26)
Candles placed on unstable surface. I = 18/189 C = 12/188; OR 1.68 (0.38 to 7.51)
Candles used < 30cm from flammable material. I = 27/189 C = 45/188; OR 0.53 (0.08 to 3.50)
Tablecloth under candle, paraffin heater, stove or lamp. I = 34/189 C = 49/188, OR 0.75 (0.17 to 3.20)
Beauty products properly labelled in tightly closed non‐glass containers. I = 185/189 C = 185/188; OR 0.75 (0.17 to 3.42)
Safe storage of beauty products. I = 172/189 C = 157/188; OR 2.13 (1.00 to 4.53)
Medicines properly labelled in tightly closed non‐glass containers. I = 186/189 C = 187/188; OR 0.33 (0.03 to 3.23)
Safe storage of medicines.
Paraffin properly labelled in tightly closed non‐glass containers. I = 173/189 C = 146/188; OR 5.02 (1.26 to 19.98)
Safe storage of paraffin. I = 123/189 C = 114/188; OR 1.47 (0.51 to 4.25)
Paraffin stored in CRC. I = 162/189 C = 128/188; OR 3.39 (1.28 to 9.02)
Cleaning products properly labelled in tightly closed non‐glass containers. I = 184/189 C = 176/188; OR 6.04 (0.44 to 83.02)
Safe storage of cleaning products.
Cleaners stored on same shelf as food. I = 5/189 C = 5/188; OR 0.84 (0.17 to 4.14)
Alcohol properly labelled in tightly closed non‐glass containers. I = 186/189 C = 185/188; OR 1.01 (0.20 to 5.07)
Safe storage of alcohol. I = 183/189 C = 178/188; OR 1.76 (0.48 to 6.50)
Rat poison properly labelled in tightly closed non‐glass containers. I = 187/189 C = 186/188; OR 1.01 (0.14 to 7.25)
Safe storage of rat poison. I = 189/189 C = 185/188; OR not calculable.
90 item home safety checklist: Mean (SE) score, Mean difference:
Total safety score. I = 13.9 (0.53) C = 14.2 (0.54), ‐0.31 (‐1.8 to 1.2)
Electrical burns score. I = 1.1 (0.14) C = 1.3 (0.14), ‐0.19 (‐0.54 to 0.16)
Paraffin burns score. I = 3.2 (0.21) C = 3.2 (0.21), ‐0.03 (‐0.64 to 0.57)
Burns safety practices score. I = 2.5 (0.12) C = 2.9 (0.12), ‐0.41 (‐0.76 to ‐0.07)
Poisoning score. I = 1.9 (0.11) C = 2.4 (0.20), ‐0.45 (‐1.01 to 0.11)
Falls score. I = 3.7 (0.24) C = 3.6 (0.24), 0.09 (‐0.60 to 0.78)
Notes Blinding ‐ y
 Outcomes 80% ‐ y
 Balance ‐ n/a
Risk of bias
Bias Authors' judgement Support for judgement
Allocation concealment (selection bias) Unclear risk Unclear