Grant Number:	1R01CA299354-01A1 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Manne, Sharon
Organization:	Rutgers Biomedical And Health Sciences
Project Title:	Sun Safe Families: a Parent and Child-Focused Intervention to Improve Sun Safety in Middle Childhood
Fiscal Year:	2026

Abstract Childhood is a critical period for reducing the risk for developing skin cancer later in life. As a result, children should regularly use sun protection behaviors that decrease their ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure and sunburn occurrence, which are the primary modifiable risk factors for melanoma later in life. However, engagement in regular sun protection behaviors among children is low and sunburn occurrence is high. Most children experience at least one sunburn in the previous summer. The developmental period between 8 and 12 years of age (also known as “middle childhood” or the “tween” years) is a transitional period when children begin to transition to self-management, although parents still bear the primary responsibility for child sun protection. Unfortunately, child UVR exposure and resulting sunburns increase during middle childhood. Despite the importance of improving sun protection behaviors in middle childhood and the parental role in fostering self- management, most interventions have been delivered in school or other community settings and few target parent, child, and the parent-child dyad. Social media-delivered interventions have the potential to reach parents of children and harness the influences of parents of similarly aged children. To this end, we have conducted two studies (N=134 parents) of the Sun Safe Families (SSF) intervention for parents of 8- to 12-year-old children. Pre- to post-intervention comparisons illustrated beneficial impacts on parent-rated child sun protection, UVR exposure, and sunburn. There were significant increases in parent-rated communication with the child about sun protection and family norms. In this study, we will evaluate the SSF Facebook intervention against an active control condition, called the Healthy Families Facebook intervention (HF), to improve sun safety among 8- to 12- year-old children. To include the tween and foster parent-child communication, we will enhance SSF to include a child-focused component targeting awareness and self-management of sun protection and a parent-child dyadic component to stimulate age-appropriate discussion about sun safety. We will conduct a randomized controlled trial of 690 parent-child dyads (child is 8-12 years of age) recruited using hybrid methods (e.g., online panels, social media, SMS). Specific aims are: Aim 1: Examine the efficacy of the SSF intervention versus HF intervention on child sun protection and exposure. Primary outcomes are parent-rated child sun protection, UVR exposure, and sunburn assessed by a 7-day daily diary and a 14-day recall at pre-, post-, and 12 months post- intervention. Aim 2: Evaluate mechanisms of intervention efficacy. Primary analyses examine the role of parent skills (communication, planning), knowledge and attitudes (perceived risk, barriers to child sun protection), norms (peer/family), and agency (self-efficacy) in mediating intervention effects on parent-rated outcomes. Aim 3: To identify potential moderators of behavior change, including parent (e.g., education), child (e.g., phenotypic risk), and environmental factors (ambient UVR), as well as intervention engagement.





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