Fire safety knowledge and awareness in high-rise residential buildings: an empirical study in China

Dongmei Huangfu; xin-zeng Wang; Haijian Dai; Dongmei Huangfu; xin-zeng Wang

doi:10.1038/s41598-025-24979-5

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Fire safety knowledge and awareness in high-rise residential buildings: an empirical study in China

Dongmei Huangfu, xin-zeng Wang, Haijian Dai, Dongmei Huangfu, xin-zeng Wang, Haijian Dai

Nature Portfolio (2025) • Volume 15, Issue 1, Pages 41083-41083

Empirical-ClinicalCrossSectionalPDF AvailableGrade Eligible⚠️ Moderate Risk Flags

Overall Assessment

Limited Methodological Quality

Assessment created by PaperScores Medical AI v0 on Dec 14, 2025

D

47/100

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Quality Dimensions

Bias & Integrity

COI handling, outcome switching, selective reporting

C60

Methods Rigour

Protocol clarity, sampling, controls

D48

External Validity

Generalisability, setting, population

D45

Transparency & Reproducibility

Data/code/materials availability, preregistration

D-35

Significance & Novelty

Contribution vs prior art; context if known

C-55

Statistical Validity

Models, assumptions, multiplicity, CI priority

D40

Integrity & Transparency

Integrity checks

P-hacking risk?

?

Review recommended

Signs of selective hypothesis testing or analysis choices that could inflate false positive rates.

Outcome switching?

?

Review recommended

Evidence that primary outcomes were changed during or after the study, potentially distorting results.

Conflict of interest?

?

None suspected

Authors have financial or other relationships that could bias research findings.

Data integrity issues?

?

None suspected

Concerns about the accuracy, completeness, or authenticity of the reported data.

Open science signals

Research data

?

Upon request

Raw data used in the analyses is publicly available or accessible upon request.

Analysis code

?

Not shared

Code or scripts used to analyze the data are shared for reproducibility.

Study materials

?

Not shared

Protocols, questionnaires, and other materials are publicly available.

Premise

Primary Research Question

What is the level of fire‑safety knowledge/awareness among Chinese high‑rise residents and which factors predict it?

Hypothesis

Six a priori hypotheses H1–H6 on age, education, floor, prior incident, indirect exposure, and drill participation.

Hypothesis is Falsifiable

✓Yes

Explicit H1–H6 tested via regression with p‑values.

PICO Framework

Population✓Yes

Residents of high‑rise residential buildings in China.

Intervention—Not specified

Observational survey—no intervention.

Comparison—Not specified

No exposure groups predefined; multivariable predictors only.

Outcome✓Yes

Knowledge/awareness and preparedness items (Q15–21) defined as DV.

Literature Positioning

Literature Review Balanced

Well covered

Cites international and Chinese codes and prior behavioural/evacuation research.

Evidence: pp.2–3 Background; refs 1–11, 15, 19.

Research Gap Clearly Stated

Well covered

Notes scarcity of studies on Chinese high‑rise residential occupants’ awareness.

Evidence: p.3 end of Background.

Stated Contribution Clear

Well covered

Assesses knowledge/awareness and identifies predictors via hierarchical regression.

Evidence: Abstract; p.1 and Method section.

Study Provenance

Peer reviewed venueGrant funding disclosedNo conflicts declared4 affiliations listed

Authors & Affiliations

Dianchi College (China); Taylor’s University (Malaysia); Tsinghua University (China); SEGi University (Malaysia).

Funding Statement

Dianchi College School-level Scientific Research Fund Project, grant 2025XJ30; APC funded by Dianchi College.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors declare no competing interests.

Peer Review

✓Published in Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio), a peer‑reviewed journal.

Evidence: p.1 header: Scientific Reports 2025; DOI shown.

Methodological Assessment

Observational StudySTROBEObservational

8 applicable checklist items.

Yes 5 · No 2 · Unclear 1

Study Design & Definitions

✓

Participant Selection Described

Online random sampling claimed; nationwide distribution; demographic controls listed.

Evidence: Methods p.3 ‘random sampling’; Table 2.

✓

Variable Definitions Clear

DV from Q15–21; predictors and coding in Table 6.

Evidence: p.3; Table 6.

✓

Confounding Addressed

Hierarchical multiple regression adjusts for covariates and controls.

Evidence: Table 7; Methods p.3–4.

✗

Temporality Established

Cross‑sectional; predictors and outcome measured simultaneously.

Evidence: Design single survey Feb 2025.

✓

Exposure Definition Anchored

Predictors defined and coded explicitly (age, education, floor, experiences, drill).

Evidence: Table 6 coding scheme.

Bias Mitigation

?

Selection Bias Addressed

Acknowledges uneven geography and online sampling but no bias quantification.

Evidence: p.5 ‘not perfectly uniform’; Discussion limits.

✗

Misclassification Assessed

No reliability/validity or misclassification assessment of questionnaire scales.

Evidence: No Cronbach’s alpha or validation reported.

Robustness

✓

Model Diagnostics Reported

Reports R², adjusted R², Durbin‑Watson, betas; no residual plots.

Evidence: Table 7 (DW=1.990).

Modules without applicable checklist items (8)

These designs were fully marked as not applicable but remain available for reference.

Abstract

With population growth, the number of high-rise residential buildings has continuously increased. Consequently, fire safety and evacuation issues in high-rise buildings have gradually garnered public attention. This study conducted an empirical survey to evaluate the fire safety knowledge and awareness among residents of high-rise buildings in China. The questionnaire sample comprised Chinese residents living in high-rise buildings, with a total of 606 valid responses collected and analyzed. The results revealed that while most residents possessed basic knowledge of high-rise building fire safety, their preparedness for fire incidents remained insufficient. It is recommended that stricter enforcement of safety regulations and the implementation of measures to mitigate fire risks in buildings. Based on descriptive statistical analysis, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was employed to identify key factors influencing residents' fire safety awareness and knowledge. The findings indicated that gender, age, educational level, and participation in fire drills were critical factors affecting residents' fire safety knowledge and awareness. These results provide supportive references for stakeholders to reduce fire risks and associated losses.

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Study Overview

Study Design

Cross Sectional

Primary classification used to evaluate this research.

Population

Chinese residents living in high-rise residential buildings across multiple provinces.

Brief summary of who or what was studied.

Sample Size

606

Number of participants included in the study analyses.

Pre-registration

Not registered

Indicates whether the protocol or trial was registered before data collection.

Follow-up

Single online survey in Feb 2025

Duration of observation or follow-up for outcomes.

Primary Outcome

Primary outcome was pre-specified in the protocol or registry.

Effect Size

Linear regression (standardised/unstandardised betas): Fire drill B 1.885, Beta 0.284, p=0.003 (Model 2)

Reviewer Notes

Cross-sectional questionnaire; predictors entered in hierarchical multiple regression; no intervention or follow-up.

Publication Details

DOI

10.1038/s41598-025-24979-5

Published

November 20, 2025

Citations

0 citations

External Resources

DOI Link OpenAlex

Disclaimer: This assessment is generated by AI and should not be the sole basis for clinical or research decisions. Always review the original paper and consult with domain experts.

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