ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Interactive multimedia programs derived from the Sunny Days, Healthy Ways (SDHW) sun safety curriculum were evaluated with children aged 5-13. METHODS: A randomized pretest to posttest 3-group study was conducted with 871 students in 12 primary schools in the western United States comparing computer programs alone, teacher-led presentation, or both combined. RESULTS: Computer programs with teacher-led presentation improved knowledge over either treatment individually (P = .001). The combination improved self-reported sun protection in lower but not higher grades over teacher-led presentation (P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: Computer-based sun safety instruction used with teacher instruction in primary schools may improve sun safety, especially with younger children.
Subject(s)
Computer-Assisted Instruction/methods , Curriculum , Environmental Exposure/prevention & control , Health Education/methods , Schools , Ultraviolet Rays/adverse effects , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Educational Measurement , Educational Status , Female , Health Promotion , Humans , Male , Skin Neoplasms/prevention & control , Social Marketing , Software , SunlightABSTRACT
Health communication campaigns intended to reduce chronic and severe exposure to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight and prevent skin cancer are a national priority. Outdoor workers represent an unaddressed, high-risk population. Go Sun Smart (GSS), a worksite sun safety program largely based on the diffusion-of-innovations theory, was evaluated in a pair-matched, group-randomized, pretest-posttest controlled design enrolling employees at 26 ski areas in Western North America. Employees at the intervention ski areas were more aware of GSS (odds ratio [OR] = 8.27, p < .05) and reported less sunburning (adjusted OR = 1.63, p < .05) at posttest than employees at the control areas. A dose response was evident (OR = 1.46, p < .05) with greater observed program implementation associated with fewer sunburns among employees. Program awareness per se was not predictive (p > .05) of reduced sunburning in a mediational analysis. Analyses of nonrespondents, including intent-to-treat analyses, further supported the success of GSS.
