A Novel Intervention to Improve Sun Exposure Awareness and Behavior in Children

Childhood sun exposure not only increases melanoma risk, but may establish lifetime patterns of exposure and protection. Individuals receive a substantial proportion of lifetime exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) during childhood, and severe sunburns before age 20 may increase lifetime risk of developing melanoma. The objective of this study is to test a novel classroom-based intervention to motivate youth to limit their sun exposure. The intervention will make the process of learning about sun exposure more person-centered using individual dosimetry readings and feedback that will lead to individual plans for reducing sun exposure. Building on the previously existing SunSmart program the investigators have been conducting in 20 local Los Angeles schools in partnership with USC's Joint Education Project (JEP), this study will implement a Randomized Controlled Trial among 5th-6th graders (aged 10-14), comparing this new education-feedback approach to the existing SunSmart education-only program, testing knowledge, attitudes and behavior before and after the intervention. In a subset of students, the investigators will collect real time UV exposure data using personal dosimetry as a Gold Standard measure of change in UV exposure behaviors. The study design randomizes at least 18 schools to 9 intervention or 9 non-intervention (control) schools, and students within each school all have pre- and post-tests. The investigators will also select classrooms from each school across conditions to have students wear dosimeters pre- and post- Intervention/Control. Using a hierarchical cluster analysis with the school unit taken as random and students as repeated measures within school, the investigators will test the primary hypothesis that improvements in sun exposure behaviors are significantly higher than baseline at post-test in the Intervention than Control group, and that this may even occur without significant differences in sun exposure knowledge and attitudes between the two groups. The investigators will additionally test the hypothesis that total UV exposures obtained from UV dosimetry are significantly lower than baseline in the Intervention than control group after Intervention.