title: Randomized trial on sun safety education at ski and snowboard schools in western North America.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Go Sun Smart, a sun safety education program, directed to parents and children enrolled in ski and snowboard schools at high altitude resorts in western North America. Twenty-six ski resorts were paired and then randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition. Three hundred fifty-seven parents were interviewed about their children's sun safety behavior and exposure to the Go Sun Smart program. More parents at the intervention resorts reported that their child was wearing sunscreen than at the control resorts (OR 2.37, 95% CI 0.93, 5.99) but this result was significant only at resorts in the Northwest region (OR 2.72, 95% CI 1.24, 5.95). Parents at intervention resorts had significantly increased odds of having seen a Go Sun Smart poster than those at the control resorts (OR=8.53, 95% CI 2.17, 33.54). No significant differences were identified between the intervention and control groups for verbal messages from ski resort employees about sun protection. Outdoor wintertime recreation venues are a potentially effective site from which to implement sun safety education programs for children and parents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication, Health Sciences Center, University of Colorado at Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA. barbara.wolkosz@cudenver.edu
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Walkosz
authors.forename: Jenifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Voeks
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Buller
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cutter
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dignan
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D005135:Eye Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009656:North America; D010290:Parents; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012449:Safety; D012865:Skiing; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013471:Sunburn / Q000517:prevention & control; D013473:Sunscreening Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D013473:Sunscreening Agents