RESEARCH PAPERS

Cigarette fires and burns in a population of New Zealand smokers

James Smith¹, Chris Bullen², Murray Laugesen³, Marewa P Glover²

¹ Counties Manukau District Health Board, New Zealand;
² University of Auckland, New Zealand;
³ Health New Zealand, New Zealand

E-mail: smithj11{at}middlemore.co.nz

Objectives: To identify the proportion of adult cigarette smokers who have experienced cigarette-caused fires and burns and to describe smoker characteristics associated with increased risk of cigarette-caused fires and burns.

Method: Data on cigarette-caused fires and burns were collected in the baseline questionnaire of a randomised trial of a smoking cessation intervention conducted in New Zealand between March 2006 and May 2007. Participants were adult callers to a national smoking cessation counselling service. Lifetime prevalence estimates of cigarette-caused fires and burns were obtained and associations between smoker characteristics and risk of fires and burns examined using logistic regression.

Results: Of 1,097 participants in the trial at baseline, 75 (6.8%) reported past experience of one or more fires caused by cigarettes (96 fires reported in total) and 658 (60.0%) described at least one cigarette-caused burn. Fifty-seven participants (5.2%) reported burns which required medical attention. Male sex and Mâori ethnicity were associated with increased risk of cigarette-caused fires. Male sex, younger age, younger age of smoking initiation, being unmarried, having a partner who smoked, having a higher education level and an annual income of $20,000 or more were associated with increased risk of cigarette burn injuries.

Implications: Our results indicate that cigarette-caused fires and burns are common amongst New Zealand smokers, are a source of inequality and therefore deserve greater attention from health advocates and policy-makers.

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