Preventing Skin Cancer: Education and Policy Approaches in Outdoor Occupation Settings

Educational and policy approaches to improve sun-protective behaviors among adults in work settings seek to improve “covering up” behavior, specifically, wearing protective clothing such as a shirt, long pants, and hat, or to increase shade use or staying out of the sun during peak UV hours. These single component and multicomponent interventions are designed to change behavior by increasing sun-protective knowledge, attitudes, intentions.

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings

The Community Preventive Services Task Force finds insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of educational and policy approaches in outdoor occupational settings in increasing the sun-protective behavior of covering up or seeking shade, or in decreasing the incidence of sunburn and UV exposure, because the limited number of available reports showed inconsistent findings.

Task Force Finding

About the Interventions

• Interventions included one or more of the following:
  • Surveys and questionnaires to assess knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, intentions, and behaviors
  • Sun-safety training of safety officers, managers, or outdoor recreation and swimming pool staff
  • Peer leader modeling of sun-safe behaviors
  • Education using didactic instruction or brochures
  • Sun-safety lessons
  • Interactive activities
  • Provision or promotion of sun-protective gear or products (e.g., wide brimmed hats, sunscreen)
  • Screening assessments by dermatologists
• Sunscreen use was considered a secondary outcome. This means that a change in sunscreen use alone would not result in a Task Force recommendation.

Results from the Systematic Reviews

Eight studies qualified for the review.

• Only two studies measured key behavioral or health outcomes.
• Effects on attitudes or beliefs were inconsistent (5 studies).

Find a Research-tested Intervention Program (RTIP) about the use of education and policy approaches in outdoor occupation settings (What is an RTIP?).

These results are based on a systematic review of all available studies led by scientists from CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control with input from a team of specialists in systematic review methods and experts in research, practice and policy related to preventing skin cancer.

Supporting Materials

• Analytic framework [PDF - 68KB]
• Research gaps
• Included studies

Publications

CDC. Preventing skin cancer. Findings of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services on reducing exposure to ultraviolet light. MMWR 2003;52(RR-15):1–12.

Saraiya M, Glanz K, Briss PA, et al. Interventions to prevent skin cancer by reducing exposure to ultraviolet radiation: a systematic review. [PDF - 788KB] Am J Prev Med 2004;27(5):422-66.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations to prevent skin cancer by reducing exposure to ultraviolet radiation. [PDF - 70KB] Am J Prev Med 2004;27(5):467-70.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Cancer. [PDF - 402KB] In : Zaza S, Briss PA, Harris KW, eds. The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote Health? Atlanta (GA): Oxford University Press;2005:143-87.

More Community Guide publications about Cancer Prevention and Control

---



Sample Citation

The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation: Guide to Community Preventive Services. Preventing skin cancer: education and policy approaches in outdoor occupation settings. www.thecommunityguide.org/cancer/skin/education-policy/outdooroccupations.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.

Review completed: July 2002