Preventing Skin Cancer: Education and Policy Approaches in Secondary Schools and Colleges

Educational and policy approaches in secondary schools and colleges are designed to decrease sunburns and increase sun-protective knowledge, attitudes, and intentions, and affect behaviors among adolescents and young adults. Interventions may include classroom teaching combined with:

• Interactive and home-based activities
• Internet-based activities
• Small media (e.g., brochures, fact sheets)
• Provision of sunscreen samples
• Extra class credit
• Cash incentives

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings

The Community Preventive Services Task Force finds insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of interventions in secondary schools or colleges to reduce adverse health effects or to change behavior related to UV exposure.

Evidence was considered insufficient because of (1) limitations in the design and execution of available studies, (2) small numbers of admissible studies, (3) variability in interventions and evaluated outcomes, and (4) short follow-up times.

Task Force Finding

Results from the Systematic Reviews

Thirteen studies qualified for the review.

• Studies were inconsistent in the interventions examined and outcomes measured.
• Results for change in knowledge (9 studies), beliefs (7 studies), and intentions (7 studies) were inconsistent.

Find a Research-tested Intervention Program (RTIP) about the use of education and policy approaches in secondary schools and colleges (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

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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 secondary schools and colleges. www.thecommunityguide.org/cancer/skin/education-policy/secondaryschools.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.

Review completed: February 2002