Assessing a sun protection program aimed at Greek elementary school students for malign melanoma prevention

Numerous countries have launched campaigns regarding sun protection in the last decades.

The aim of the present study was to assess an intervention program aimed at higher knowledge and healthier attitudes regarding sun protection.

The sample consisted of 4,133 students aged 8-12 years from a single Greek province.

In most items, knowledge levels after the intervention were found to be higher than those before (2.8±0.9 vs 3.3±0.9), while knowledge about sun protection factors seems to have had the highest improvement (27.1% vs 56.6%). However, student attitudes did not appear to improve, with the exception of applying sunscreen with a higher SPF (29.7% vs 54.8%). Girls seemed to have healthier attitudes compared to boys, but gender played no role with regard to knowledge levels. Also, place of residence did not play any role regarding knowledge levels, although those living in semi-urban areas seemed to have more unhealthy attitudes. Logistic regression by correlating knowledge and attitudes established that higher knowledge levels are usually accompanied by healthier attitudes, albeit marginally.

The intervention had a positive contribution to the student knowledge level regarding sun protection and also led to small improvements regarding some attitudes. Continuous similar interventions could lead to better results and the adoption of healthier attitudes.