Back to School Considerations for Sun Safety Knowledge and Behaviors

August is the start of the back-to-school season across the U.S. so now is a good time to provide an overview of some research that has been ongoing on sun safety knowledge and behaviors in students.

Sun Safety and Behaviors in Elementary School Students

A recent study evaluated the effects of an intervention on sun safety knowledge and behaviors in third- and fourth-grade students in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The intervention combined an educational video, t-shirt design contest, and interactive assembly. Results showed that the intervention significantly increased awareness of the link between sun exposure and skin cancer, and this knowledge continued to be high after six months. However, lasting behavioral changes were not observed, which supports the need to reinforce the information over time and/or to use a different intervention.

Read the publication here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pde.70234

Sun Safety and Behaviors in High School Students

A Utah study assessed the associations between perceptions of the costs of UV protection, the rewards of tanning, and the use of protective behaviors among high school students. In total, the study included 2,105 students who were enrolled in the Sun-Safe Habits Intervention and Education cluster-randomized trial in Utah high schools between 2021 and 2023. Results showed that students who believed there were costs or barriers, or negative monetary, effort, time, and social consequences associated with sun protective behaviors, and who believed there were rewards with tanning, had fewer protective behaviors. The results suggest that perceived inconvenience and appearance considerations, such as concerns about greasiness of sunscreen and discomfort with sun protection clothing, affect adolescent UV exposure and protection practices. These findings provide insight into perceived barriers and rewards to consider when developing programs for adolescents.

Read the publication here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13101925/pdf/nihms-2155447.pdf

Sun Safety and Behaviors in College Students

The Risk Information and Skin-cancer Education for Undergraduate Prevention (RISE-UP) study is designed to look at the effectiveness of different combinations of personalized skin cancer prevention interventions in young adults. The study assesses the impact of UV photography that highlights skin damage and the individual’s skin cancer risk, information on genetic risk based on changes in the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene, and the creation of personalized plans for implementing health behaviors (including what behaviors an individual will engage in and in what contexts they will do so). The study includes students from the University of Utah who are at risk of developing skin cancer based on self-reported sunburn or tanning in the past year, or not utilizing recommended sun protection. The primary goal of the study is to assess self-reported number of sunburns to determine which interventions are the most effective. How these interventions influence other important prevention outcomes, such as tanning and use of sun protection, will also be evaluated.

Read the publication here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11620905/pdf/nihms-2034737.pdf