Teens teach skin cancer prevention

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Dermatology
• Health Education

Background:

• Cumulative sun exposure is a primary cause of skin cancer, affecting approximately 95% of cases.
• Farmers and their families face elevated skin cancer risk due to prolonged occupational sun exposure.
• Health education is a critical tool for disease prevention and risk reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a sun protection education program delivered by peer facilitators to rural third graders.
• To evaluate knowledge gain in students regarding skin cancer and sun safety.
• To determine the cost-effectiveness of using a school-based organization for rural health interventions.

Main Methods:

• Future Farmers of America (FFA) peer facilitators (n=217) were trained in skin cancer and sun protection.
• Facilitators delivered educational presentations to third graders (n=2,007) in rural Wisconsin schools.
• Knowledge gain was measured using pre-, post-, and six-month follow-up surveys, analyzed with chi-square tests.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed a statistically significant increase (P < 0.001) in knowledge gain for nine out of ten questions compared to the control group.
• Peer educators successfully imparted knowledge gain to the target youth population.
• The program demonstrated cost-effectiveness with material costs of $0.55 per student and $3.50 per facilitator.

Conclusions:

• Peer-led sun protection education is an effective strategy for improving knowledge among rural youth.
• Utilizing organizations like FFA offers a cost-effective method to reach rural populations with vital health information.
• This intervention model has the potential to mitigate skin cancer risks in high-risk occupational groups and their families.