The Effect of a School-Based Sun Protection Program on Students' Sun Protection Behavior in Turkey

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to discover whether a school-based sun protection program (SPP) developed in line with the transtheoretical model (TTM) had an impact on students in an intervention group in the stages of change of developing sun protection behavior, reducing the number of sunburns adolescents sustain, and in terms of their perceptions of pros and cons and self-efficacy, as compared to the control group.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This study was designed as pre-/posttest control group semi-experimental research. The research was carried out with 376 adolescents in two schools. One of the schools was randomly designated as the intervention group of students and the other represented the control group. The chi-square test and the two-way repeated measures analysis of variance were used in the analysis of the data. The SPP formed the basis for the program.

RESULTS

The control group's sunscreen use and sun avoidance stages were behind and their self-efficacy mean scores significantly lower than the intervention group after the implementation of the SPP (p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

The study showed that a SPP was effective in achieving progress in the TTM for sun protection. It can be suggested that school nurses will find it useful to make use of the sun protection program.

APPLICATION TO PRACTICE

School nurses who provide protective healthcare services can play an effective role in reducing the exposure of children and adolescents to the sun and promoting the development of sun protection behavior in schools.

The effect of 'I am Protecting my Child from the Sun' programme on parental sun protection behaviours: Randomized controlled trial

AIMS

This study aims to examine the effect of the 'I am Protecting my Child from the Sun' program based on the social cognitive theory, on parental use of sun protection products and sun avoidance behaviours.

DESIGN

Cluster randomized controlled trial.

METHODS

The study was conducted with three groups using a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design. The study included 185 parents, of which 63 were in the education group, 62 were in the education + SMS group, and 60 were in the control group. The parents in the intervention group were engaged in the 'I am Protecting my Child from the Sun' program for a period of 6 weeks, while the education + SMS group, in addition to the program, also received. Primary outcomes include sunscreen use and sun avoidance behaviour and secondary outcomes were self-protection and protection of their children's behaviour. A repeated-measures ANOVA and marginal homogeneity were the main statistical tests.

RESULTS

The interventions made as part of the 'I am Protecting my Child from the Sun' program increased the following behavioural components of parents in the education group and the education + SMS group, compared with the control group: sun protection product use behaviours, sun avoidance behaviours, and behaviours related to protecting themselves and their children from the sun. There was an even higher increase in these behavioural components for those parents who also received short reminder text messages.

CONCLUSION

The 'I am Protecting my Child from the Sun' program and the receiving of short reminder messages had positive effects on the parents' behaviours related to protecting themselves and their children from the sun.

IMPACT

The 'I am Protecting my Child from the Sun' developed parents' sunscreen use self-efficacy, norms/attitudes about sunscreen use and sunscreen use expectancy behaviour, and reduced their impediments to sunscreen use behaviour. In addition, the program developed parents' sun avoidance self-efficacy, norms/attitudes about sun avoidance and sun avoidance expectancy behaviours, and reduced tanning expectancy behaviour. Receiving SMS messages following the training was effective in parental behaviours for use of sunscreen, sun avoidance, and protecting themselves and their children from the sun. Registration number: Study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04251598.