Is a health promotion campaign successful in retail pharmacies?

A sun awareness campaign with the theme "Be Sun Smart" was initiated by the Alberta Pharmaceutical Association in collaboration with the Alberta Cancer Board, Alberta Health and the Canadian Cancer Society. The campaign aimed to increase awareness and knowledge on the part of pharmacists and their staff and customers of adequate protection from the sun. The evaluation consisted of a precampaign questionnaire focusing on pharmacists' attitudes and knowledge, followed by a post-campaign questionnaire evaluating the campaign and assessing changes in pharmacists' knowledge. Questionnaires were sent to all 697 retail pharmacies in Alberta. The data indicated that responding pharmacists' knowledge was high before the campaign. However, knowledge of skin protection and magnitude of the problem did improve from the pre- to postcampaign survey. Pharmacists' precampaign attitudes varied, 49% agreeing that a tanned person looks healthier, and 96% agreeing that skin cancer is a dangerous disease. There was a high degree of acceptance for educational campaigns within retail pharmacies.