Sun-care product advertising in parenting magazines: what information does it provide about sun protection?

A state of the science on influential factors related to sun protective behaviors to prevent skin cancer in adults

Skin cancer rates have risen over the past decades, making it imperative that adults understand the need for protection from sun exposure. Though some risk factors have been identified as predictive for skin cancers, there is a lack of synthesized information about factors that influence adults in their decisions to engage in sun protective behaviors. The purpose of this paper is to present the current state of the science on influential factors for sun protective behaviors in the general adult population. A rigorous literature search inclusive of a generally White, Caucasian, and non-Hispanic adult population was performed, and screening yielded 18 quantitative studies for inclusion in this review. Findings indicate that modifiable and non-modifiable factors are interdependent and play a role in sun protective behaviors. This study resulted in a proposed conceptual model for affecting behavioral change in sun protection including the following factors: personal characteristics, cognitive factors, family dynamics, and social/peer group influences. These factors are introduced to propose tailored nursing interventions that would change current sun protective behavior practice. Key implications for nursing research and practice focus on feasibility of annual skin cancer screening facilitated by advanced practice nurses, incorporating the identified influential factors to reduce skin cancer risk and unnecessary sun exposure.

[Prevention of skin cancer: considerations on strategic communication]

In recent decades the numbers of cases of skin cancer have been increasing worldwide in light skinned populations. In Germany skin cancer is the most common form of cancer. To reduce the burden of skin cancer protection from ultraviolet radiation (primary prevention) and early detection (secondary prevention) of the disease play a decisive role. In this context information to the population about preventive behavior and the support of informed decision-making in skin cancer screening are important aspects in communication. This paper gives an overview about communicational aspects in the promotion of skin cancer prevention. In the development of communicational interventions it is important to identify the relevant target groups. Relevant key opinion leaders have to be included in the information process. Additionally, interventions should be based on a theoretical framework and be designed for the respective target group. Furthermore, different forms of communication and communication tools are provided for the realization of an information intervention. To appraise the intervention elements of summative and formal evaluation are available. The current results provide important findings about different effects of communicational aspects on knowledge and behavior of the population; however, due to the complexity of information interventions a particular effect cannot be explained by a single communicational element.