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Go Sun Smart

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Go Sun Smart is a workplace intervention that aims to reduce ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from sunlight among ski area employees. Snow, ice and altitude intensify the effects of UVR and thus place ski area employees at heightened risk for skin cancer. Lifetime exposure to UVR from sunlight is positively associated with many types of skin cancer and is the most preventable cause of skin cancer.

The Go Sun Smart program includes a six-unit training program for employees of ski areas, administered by the employees' supervisors. The objective is to have employees conceptualize their personal risk for skin cancer and to learn tactics for incorporating sun protection into their daily work routine. Messages about sun protection are delivered to employees through many media sources. Free gifts are given out to employees who participate (e.g. wide-brimmed hats, sun block dispensers) and employees are encourage to utilize the website, www.gosunsmart.org, to access more resources about skin cancer and sun protection.

Goal / Mission

The mission of Go Sun Smart is to reduce the risk of skin cancer among ski area employees and, specifically, to reduce the number of sun burns employees incur.

Results / Accomplishments

The Go Sun Smart intervention was implemented between January and April of 2002 at 13 ski resorts in the United States and Canada; 13 resorts, matched on geography, size and other attributes served as control resorts. In March of 2002, 4,007 randomly selected employees who participated in either Go Sun Smart or the control group completed a survey. The survey found employees at the ski areas where the intervention was implemented reported a 14% reduction in sunburns while skiing or snowboarding (from 46% before Go Sun Smart to 32% after). This decline was significantly greater (p<0.05) than the 8% decline observed in the control ski areas (49% before to 41% at after).

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
National Cancer Institute
Primary Contact
Go Sun Smart

1667 Cole Boulevard
Suite No. 225

Golden, CO 8040
info@gosunsmart.org
http://www.gosunsmart.org/
Topics
Health / Cancer
Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Organization(s)
National Cancer Institute
Source
Research-tested Intervention Programs
Date of publication
2005
For more details
http://rtips.cancer.gov/rtips/programDetails.do?pr...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?Db=PubMed&Cmd=...
Target Audience
Adults
Additional Audience
employees

Related Promising Practices

  1. CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Skin Cancer: Interventions in Outdoor Recreational and Tourism Settings
  2. CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Skin Cancer: Primary and Middle School-Based Interventions
  3. Kaiser Kids Sun Care Program
  4. Pool Cool
  5. Sun Smart Tips
  6. Healthy Workplaces Program

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Related Content for: Go Sun Smart

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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