Examining the Role of Attitudinal Factors in Shaping Fire Prevention Intentions: A Study of Response Efficacy in Public Markets of Tanzania

Abstract

The need of this study was to examine the moderating effects of attitude on the relationship between response efficacy and prevention intention of fire outbreaks in public markets. This research utilized quantitative research methods, surveying 384 participants consisting of traders and market management in the Dar es Salaam Region. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select respondents from 10 markets, and data analysis was conducted using a structural equation model. Findings show that attitudes moderate the relationship between perceived response efficacies towards prevention intention of fire outbreaks in public markets. The result shows that the effects of perceived response efficacy to attitudes (CR = 0.114, P = 0.035 and SRW = 0.480) and path leading from attitudes to prevention intention on outbreaks of fire in public markets was (CR = 0.2.653, P = 0.008 and SRW = 0.931). The study recommends that building attitudes on fire prevention should be a continuous process in public market in Tanzania.