DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Description) Total lifetime sun exposure and
intermittent intense exposure to the sun are the primary preventable risk
factors for skin cancer, including malignant melanoma. Up to 80 percent of
lifetime sun exposure is estimated to occur prior to age 18, and a single
severe sunburn in childhood can double the risk of melanoma. Prevention of
over-exposure to the sun, beginning at birth, has the greatest long-term
potential for reversing the rising incidence of melanoma and non-melanoma
skin cancer.
The proposed study translates basic epidemiologic research on skin cancer
and melanoma to a behavioral intervention aimed at reducing sun exposure in
a cohort of newborns. In this randomized controlled trial, medical offices
of an HMO will be randomly assigned to intervention or control. Pediatric
care providers at intervention sites will deliver brief informational
messages and resources for sun protection to parents of infants at
well-child visits between age 2 and 36 months. Research in smoking
cessation and screening mammography suggests that the physician messages
will be a powerful promoter of behavior change. Annual interviews and skin
exams will measure differences between intervention and control subjects in
knowledge, attitudes and practices related to sun exposure, as well as
differences in signs of sun exposure such as mole acquisition, sunburns, and
tanning. Process evaluation, using provider surveys and exit interviews of
parents, will determine the extent to which the intervention was delivered
by providers.
This study has the potential of discovering a important method of reducing
skin cancer risk. In addition, it will extend knowledge regarding the
impact of provider-delivered health promotion advice, and may identify a
method for changing parents' behavior that could be translated to other
health practices, such as diet and exercise.
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- The DCCPS Team.
