Fine forecasts: encouraging the media to include ultraviolet radiation information in summertime weather forecasts

The influence of the UV-index on attitudes toward sun exposure in the German population

The increased skin cancer incidences are important public health problems. In spite of the strong promotion of the UV-index as essential UV risk education tool, only few studies have investigated peoples understanding of the UV-index. This paper is the first to present representative data on UV-index understanding in Germany. In 2007, a representative telephone survey was carried out among 1,501 German residents aged 14 years and older. Only 27% of the respondents had heard of the UV-index before and 17% of the German respondents claimed to consider the index for their sun habits. Less than 10% of the German population was able to attribute the correct meaning to the UV-index as well as know their own skin type. The results of the present study suggest that informing the public about the UV-index has very limited impact on the public's understanding of the UV-index as well as on their attitude toward sun exposure. The results warrant the question whether the UV-index in the present form is a useful education tool in UV risk communication.

Mass media barriers to social marketing interventions: the example of sun protection in the UK

The role of the mass media in communicating health-related information to the wider population is the focus of this paper. Using the example of sun protection within the UK, we highlight some of the major challenges to raising awareness of steadily increasing melanoma rates and of effective sun protection strategies. The implications of potential barriers to official sun protection messages via conflicting messages in the media are discussed in terms of editorial on sun protection and in the way in which television programme content portrays the issues. Implications for public policy and future research conclude the paper.

Primary Prevention of Skin Cancer in Children and Adolescents: A Review of the Literature

Although skin cancer is an easily preventable disease, self-directed prevention behaviors in children are difficult to achieve. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the status of primary prevention interventions and identify gaps in national and international research in order to make suggestions for further intervention design. A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PSYCHinfo databases was conducted to collect published research used in this review. The most effective interventions used multicomponent curricula administered over an extended period of time. Younger children were more receptive to interventions than were older children, who had stronger attitudes against sun-protective behaviors. Interventions in Australia have been more successful than interventions in North America and Europe. Further research needs to be conducted to create primary prevention interventions that address informational gaps. Specifically testing the dose and effect of individual educational components and bundling of components with reliable and valid outcome measures would help health care researchers define and measure the most effective way to battle social norms and attitudes of children and sun exposure.

Weekend sun protection and sunburn in Australia trends (1987-2002) and association with SunSmart television advertising

BACKGROUND

The Australian state of Victoria has run a population-based skin cancer prevention program called SunSmart since 1988, incorporating substantial public education efforts and environmental change strategies. Trends over 15 years in behavioral risk factors for skin cancer were examined in a population exposed to the SunSmart program. Whether outcomes were associated with extent of SunSmart television advertising was then assessed.

METHODS

In nine cross-sectional surveys from 1987 to 2002, 11,589 adults were interviewed by telephone about their sun exposure and sun protection during outdoor activities on summer weekends. Analyses completed in 2007 adjusted for ambient temperature and ultraviolet radiation.

RESULTS

Sun protection and sunburn show substantial general improvement over time, but have stalled in recent years. Use of hats and sunscreens significantly increased over time and peaked during the mid to late 1990s, compared with the pre-SunSmart baseline. The mean proportion of unprotected skin was reduced and was lowest in the summer of 1997-1998. Summer sunburn incidence declined over time and was 9.1% in 2002, almost half baseline (OR=0.53; 95% CI=0.39-0.73). Higher exposure to SunSmart advertising in the 4 weeks before the interview increased: (1) preference for no tan, (2) hat and sunscreen use, and (3) proportion of body surface protected from the sun.

CONCLUSIONS

The general improvement in sun-protective behaviors over time highlight that a population's sun-protective behaviors are amenable to change. Population-based prevention programs incorporating substantial television advertising campaigns into the mix of strategies may be highly effective in improving a population's sun-protective behaviors.

The use of commercially available personal UV-meters does cause less safe tanning habits: a randomized-controlled trial

UV Index information is currently recommended as a vehicle to raise public awareness about the risk of sun-exposure. It remains unknown to what extent this information can change personal sun-protective behavior. The aim of the study was to analyze the effects of UV-Index (UV-I) information provided by low cost, commercially available UV-I sensors on major indicators of sun-tanning behavior. A randomized-controlled trial was carried out on 94 healthy volunteers aged 21-23 years. After the exclusion of subjects with photosensitive disorders (n=3), 91 subjects were randomized in two arms after stratification based on phototype and sex. Both arms received a diary to be filled every day with a log of intentional sun-exposure during summer. Subjects in the intervention group also received a commercially available UV-I sensor. The UV-I sensors were switched on and the UV-value was recorded in 77% of days with sun-exposure. During days of sun-exposure, subjects randomized to the intervention group had longer average time of sun-exposure (227.7 vs 208.7 min per day, P=0.003), also between noon and 4 pm (P<0.001), and less frequently adopted sun protective measures than controls (hat [6.4%vs 10.2%, P=0.007], sunglasses [23.9%vs 30.8%, P=0.003], sunscreen [41.4%vs 47.2%, P=0.02]) and they experienced more frequent sunburns (27.8%vs 21.5%, P=0.004). The odd ratio of sunburns was 1.60 for subjects in the intervention group compared with controls (after adjustment for sex, sunscreen use and skin type). The mean UV-I value recorded by volunteers was lower (5.6 [SD+/-0.9]) than that (7.3 [SD+/-0.46]) recorded by a professional instrument in the same period at the same latitude. Poststudy laboratory tests showed that the sensor was able to detect only about 60% of the solar diffuse radiation. The use of UV-I sensors changed the sun protective behavior of sunbathers in the direction of less use of sun protective measures. One possible explanation is that the low cost UV-meters may have functioned incorrectly and under-reported UV exposure. This may have led to an underestimation of UV-I values, erroneously reassuring subjects and causing a less protective sunbathing behavior. Another hypothesis relies on a cognitive pitfall in the subjects' dealing with intermediate UV-I values, as they may have been discouraged in the use of sunscreen as they did not feel that they had yet been exposed to very harmful UV radiation.