Sunsmart Victoria: Skin cancer

In 1980, Cancer Council Victoria launched the Slip! Slop! Slap! campaign. It featured a singing, dancing Sid Seagull encouraging people to reduce sun exposure. This successful program was funded by public donations.

By 1988, SunSmart, a broader, multi-faceted skin cancer control program, had been introduced with support from the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) and Cancer Council Victoria.

Today the sun protection message has expanded to Slip! Slop! Slap! Seek! Slide! We seek to influence individual sun protection behaviours, those with responsibilities for protecting others and broader environmental change. SunSmart has also taken a leadership role by promoting a balance between the risks of skin cancer from too much sun exposure and maintaining adequate vitamin D levels.


Research


SunSmart is an evidence-based health promotion program. The results of research are used to guide program development and activities are regularly evaluated.
Researchers at the Cancer Council Victoria's Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer contribute to the evidence base by studying behaviours and what encourages people to be sun smart.

Future directions
SunSmart aims to continue building for past successes. A strong research base provides clear direction for interventions that most effectively reduce skin cancer among Australians.

In coming years their future direction:
1.lobbying for increased funding for public education campaigns, especially television advertising

2.investing in initiatives for adolescents and young adults given their low compliance with sun protective measures and higher sunburn incidence on summer weekends

3.focusing on settings and activities where people mostly get burnt, including sport, water/beach-related activities and active and passive recreation

4.improving environmental protection strategies, such as shade audits, options for built and natural shade and promoting the SunSmart UV Alert

5.ensuring a tailored response with sections of the community more likely to be at risk of vitamin D deficiency

6.continuing to deliver core activities such as working with schools, early childhood services,

Media campaign

From the early days of raising awareness and providing sun protection advice, media messages have evolved to meet public demand for harder hitting campaigns.

1.Clare Oliver's No tan is worth dying for campaign (2008) [mpg 3M]
2.Go to the Protect yourself in 5 ways national campaign (2007-08)
3.Tattoo campaign: Skin cancer its killer body art (2004/05) [wmv 1.18M]
4.Timebomb campaign: Every time you get sunburnt you are putting a time bomb under
5.your skin – time bombs that can turn into skin cancers (2000/01) [wmv 1.23M]
6.How to remove a skin cancer campaign (1996–98) [wmv 1.53M]
7.Leave your hat on campaign for a look at sun protection in the nineties (1991–93) [wmv 1.49M]
Slip! Slop! Slap! Sid Seagull campaign (1980s) [wmv 2.1M]

Achievements

Twenty years of commitment and partnerships with government, commercial and community agencies has seen changes in social norms and health including:

1.decreased rates of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer in young people
2.Victoria becoming the national leader in solarium legislation across Australia
increased use of hats and sunscreens, reductions in sunburn and a decrease in people's desire for a tan.

Focusing on awareness, education and structural and environmental approaches to sun protection.

Over the next 20 years, is predicted to:
1.prevent 1,900 premature deaths
2.reduce the number of cases of melanoma by 20,000
3.reduce non-melanoma skin cancer by 49,000.

SunSmart is not only about sun protection. It's an investment in prevention that brings health and economic benefits to Victoria.


Reference: ="http://www.sunsmart.com.au