title: Promoting sun safety among US Postal Service letter carriers: impact of a 2-year intervention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined whether US Postal Service letter carriers who received a sun safety intervention would wear wide-brim hats and sunscreen significantly more often than those who did not receive the intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a 2-group randomized design with 2662 evaluation cohort participants from 70 US postal stations. Evaluations were conducted at baseline, 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years. Questionnaire items assessed occupational use of sun-screen and wide-brim hats. The 2-year sun safety intervention included the provision of wide-brim hats, accessible sunscreen, reminders, and 6 educational sessions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the 3-month follow-up evaluations, the odds ratio (OR) for regular sun-screen use was 2.8 times higher among the intervention group than among the control group (95% confidence interval [CI]=2.2, 3.5); at the 2-year follow-up evaluations, the rate was still significantly higher (OR=2.0; 95% CI=1.6, 2.6). Intervention group participants also had significantly higher rates of hat use, with the differences remaining consistent across all follow-ups (OR=2.9; 95% CI=2.3, 3.6).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The intervention should be disseminated to postal stations nationwide and possibly to other occupational groups that work outdoors.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego 92123, USA. jmayer@mail.sdsu.edu
authors.forename: Joni A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: Donald J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Slymen
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Clapp
authors.forename: Latrice C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Pichon
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Eckhardt
authors.forename: Lawrence F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Eichenfield
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Elder
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Sallis
authors.forename: Martin A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Weinstock
authors.forename: April
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Achter
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Balderrama
authors.forename: Gabriel R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Galindo
authors.forename: Sam S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Oh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D011177:Postal Service; D011322:Primary Prevention; D011481:Protective Clothing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017010:Reminder Systems; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013473:Sunscreening Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000078329:Workforce
chemical_list: D013473:Sunscreening Agents