SKIN CANCER PREVENTION IN A PEDIATRIC POPULATION

University Of Colorado Denver, Aurora CO

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

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.