Educating preschoolers about sun safety.
OBJECTIVE
This feasibility study examined whether a sun safety curriculum designed for and administered to preschoolers affects their cognition (knowledge, comprehension, application) regarding sun safety.


METHODS
Twelve classes of 4- to 5-year-olds were recruited from local preschools and randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group received an investigator-developed sun safety curriculum; the control group did not. Children in both groups were tested at the beginning of the study about their cognition related to sun safety. They then received posttests 2 and 7 weeks following the pretest.


RESULTS
The curriculum had a significant effect on the knowledge (P = .01) and comprehension (P = .006) components of cognition. The application component of cognition was not significantly changed by the curriculum.


CONCLUSIONS
A structured curriculum was found to be an efficacious means of enhancing knowledge and comprehension of sun safety in preschool children. At the preoperational developmental stage, however, children may not be able to apply such knowledge and comprehension.
Loescher
L J
LJ
Arizona Cancer Center, Cancer Prevention and Control, Tucson 85724, USA.
Emerson
J
J
Taylor
A
A
Christensen
D H
DH
McKinney
M
M
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001130:Arizona; D002675:Child, Preschool / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003479:Curriculum; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D013471:Sunburn / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects*