Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Sun protection fun: An educational outreach initiative by a dermatology interest group

2007; Elsevier BV; Volume: 57; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jaad.2007.08.006

1097-6787

Rajiv I. Nijhawan, Shalu S. Patel, Sarah Stechschulte, Sharon E. Jacob,

Acne and Rosacea Treatments and Effects

To the Editor: We read with interest the study by Irwin et al1Irwin B. Mauriello D. Hemminger L. Pappert A. Kimball A.B. Skin sun-acne tutorial evaluation among middle- and high-school students in central New Jersey.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2007; 56: 407-412Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (11) Google Scholar regarding the SkinSAT program, which educates middle- and high-school students about sun protection and acne. We agree on the difficulty in conveying the importance of daily sun protection for skin cancer prevention to the general public, and have found a greater challenge in educating children and adolescents. Because individuals in these age groups often have increased concerns with their appearances, we found this integrated approach of presenting sun-protective measures alongside acne information to be interesting and innovative. As the incidence of skin cancer continues to increase yearly, we strongly agree with the authors' assertion on the need for more educational outreach programs to reinforce the importance of sun protection. To address this tremendous need of widespread awareness regarding skin cancer prevention in south Florida, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Dermatology Interest Group developed an educational outreach program entitled “Sun Protection Fun” in the fall of 2006. This program is an ongoing community service initiative aimed at educating elementary school–aged students on the harmful effects of the sun. A detailed overview of SPF can be found at the following link: http://dermatology.med.miami.edu/education_SPF.asp. Our program begins with a multimedia PowerPoint (Microsoft, Redmond, Wash) presentation, which assesses the students' current knowledge and behaviors and shares important facts and recommendations regarding sun damage and protection. A video is then shown demonstrating children experimenting with sunscreen effectiveness.2DragonflyTV: Body and Brain. Sunscreen by Aaron and Justin [videotape]. PBS Kids; 2006. Available at: http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/sunscreen.html. Accessed June 25, 2007.Google Scholar An interactive session follows with a segment in which a volunteer student is dressed up by his or her newly educated peers for a fun day at the beach using sun-safe props. The program concludes with an arts and crafts activity completed in small groups in which the dermatology interest group medical students help the elementary students make bracelets using ultraviolet (UV) light–sensitive beads (Fig 1). These special beads remain clear indoors, but change color (activate) in the presence of UV light, which serves as a reminder of the importance of sun protection. This informal interactive time provides a forum for addressing any remaining questions and reinforcing key concepts from the presentation. Knowing how difficult it can be to capture the attention of young students on such an important topic, we purposely incorporated activities that conveyed the same important message through a variety of learning styles approaches. More than 300 elementary students have participated in our program, with feedback from the teachers being, for example, that the program “was very informative to the students and myself about what damage the sun can do to your skin.” In addition, although the children have continued to exhibit sun-safety practices (eg, wearing their UV light–sensitive bracelets) 5 months after our presentation, we do acknowledge the need for a formal evaluation of this program, including outcome measures (ie, fewer sunburns and increased sunscreen use). We share our outreach program on skin health and sun protection to promote similar programs to SkinSAT and Sun Protection Fun and make an impact in early education.