Knowledge attitudes and practices on fire safety and its prevention among resident students in Makerere University

Abstract

Fire remains a public health concern globally (Adeleye, 2020). Large numbers of injuries and deaths are registered annually by the World Health Organization (WHO), the larger percentage of these occurring in developing countries (Gerstl et al., 2021). Due to the serious effects, they often have in the event of occurrence, the problem of fires in educational facilities should not be taken lightly, yet the majority of these institutions in Uganda are not equipped to deal with fire disasters. Despite the evident danger of fire outbreaks, there is a lack of systematic research on how resident students perceive and respond to fire safety issues in Makerere University. It is critical to ensure fire safety on campus, especially for students, who are a particularly vulnerable population due to their constant presence on campus. This study aims to fill an important gap in the existing literature and provide valuable insight into the knowledge, attitudes and practices related to fire safety and its prevention among resident university students. To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices on fire safety and its prevention among resident students in Makerere University. This study was a cross-sectional descriptive one, among Makerere university students residing on campus in the academic year 2023/24. The study employed a stratified sampling method considering halls of residence as strata, with a calculated sample size of 428 students. The data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire that was designed using Kobo Toolbox software. Analysis of results was done using Excel and STATA 14 software. This study consisted of 428 participants, with a majority being male (62.2%) and an average age of 22.92 years. Most participants (97.9%) were undergraduate students, with 59.81% in their third year of study. The study found that 43% of participants had good knowledge of fire safety and prevention, primarily sourced from Twitter and Google. Additionally, 87% of respondents displayed positive attitudes towards fire safety and prevention. However, when it came to practices, only 49.5% of respondents demonstrated fair practices regarding fire safety and prevention, indicating a gap between attitudes and actions. The assessment of knowledge attitudes and practices and fire safety among students in the halls of residence in Makerere University showed that they had poor knowledge, good attitudes and poor practices. These findings showed that in the event of an accidental fire the students in the halls of residence would not be able to control the fires putting the masses at risk of injuries and death by fire. The halls of residents are highly populated implying that a fire outbreak would be heavily disastrous with many injuries and possible deaths this study has highlighted the need for training and educational sessions on fire safety in order to improve their knowledge attitudes and practices for the students.