Using mass media communication for health promotion: results from a cancer center effort

Administrators at a cancer center initiated a program they hoped would reduce exposure to the sun, and therefore the incidence of skin cancer. They also hoped for association of the value of the program with their institution. Research measuring the impact of the program showed that it reached more than one million individuals in three cities, and that awareness of the program was associated with behaviors expected to reduce the risk of skin cancer. In its home city, the program was associated with the sponsoring hospital by 22 percent of those who said they were familiar with it; association in other cities was significantly lower.