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consumers who received them and that they motivated many people to respond to the safety messages . 2 / 3 /

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2 / The evaluations for the home heating systems campaign and the ēlectrical safety campaign were similar in design . Both were direct - mail campaigns involving the distribution of printed materials . The principal method employed in the evaluation of each program was distribution ( also by mail ) of 500 questionnaires to people who had requested materials . The response rate for each evaluation was 70 % - 80 % , which is regarded as high for direct - mail surveys .

Of those who responded to the questionnaire for the evaluation of the home heating systems campaign , 81 % indicated that as a result of reading the Commission ' s publication , they now use wood stoves , kerosene heaters , or gas space heaters in ways which prevent fires ( e . g . , by keeping them away from combustibles ) and prevent accumulation of hazardous levels of combustion products ( e . g . , by providing adequate ventilation ) .

Ninety percent of the respondents in the evaluation of the electrical safety campaign felt that the electrical safety audit was very or somewhat useful . A number of consumers reported that they took action to address potential hazards in their hames as a direct result of the electrical safety audit ( e . g . , replaced oversize light bulbs with bulbs of proper wattage ; corrected problems with electric cords ; corrected other electrical problems with appliances ; or installed ground fault circuit interrupters ( GFCIS ) ) .

3 / The major features of the evaluation design of the Safety for Older Consumers project were : ( 1 ) pre - and post - interviews with an experimental group of older consumers who were visited by trained safety specialists who also conducted the participants on a home safety inspection tour ; ( 2 ) use of a control group of older consumers who received the materials in the mail and were not visited ; and ( 3 ) use of a telephone survey ( of the control group ) and face - to - face interviews ( of the experimental group ) to collect evaluation data .

The significant evaluation findings were :

- - One - fourth of the telephone survey respondents made hame improvements as a result of the campaign ; one - third indicated that they had changed their safety practices and behavior ; and about one - half reported that they intended to make changes as a result of the program . Examples of changes included checking for overheated electric circuits , clearing stairways , purchasing smoke detectors , purchasing non - skid mats and rugs , and making repairs such as replacing frayed wires .

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- There was no statistically significant difference between the group visited on - site ( experimental group ) and the control group . Each reported an equal increase in safety knowledge and in behavior changes as a result of the knowledge gained .