Does being a %26quot;SunSmart School%26quot; influence hat-wearing compliance? An ecological study of hat-wearing rates at Australian primary schools in a region of high sun exposure

作者：Turner Denise^*; Harrison Simone L; Buettner Petra; Nowak Madeleine

来源：Preventive Medicine, 2014, 60: 107-114.

DOI：10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.12.020

• Sun Smart
• Sun-protection
• Ultraviolet radiation
• Hat-wearing
• Skin cancer

Background. Childhood sun exposure is an important risk factor for skin cancer. Anecdotal evidence suggests that hats are under-utilized by Australian primary school students. %26lt;br%26gt;Methods. The proportion of students and adult role-models wearing hats was observed at 36 primary schools (63.9% SunSmart schools [SSS]) in Townsville (latitude 19.3 degrees S; high to extreme maximum daily UV-index year round), Queensland, Australia, from 2009 to 2011. %26lt;br%26gt;Results. Overall, 52.2% of 28,775 students and 47.9% of 2954 adults were observed wearing a hat. Hat use (all styles) among SSS and non-SunSmart school (NSSS) students was similar before (24.2% vs 20.5%; p = 0.701), after (25.4% vs 21.7%; p = 0.775) and during school-hours (93.0% vs 89.2%; p = 0.649) except SSS students wore gold-standard (broad-brim/bucket/legionnaire) hats during school play-breaks more often in the warmer months (October March) than NSSS students (54.7% vs 37.4%; p = 0.02). Although the proportion of adults who wore hats (all styles) was similar at SSS and NSSS (48.2% vs 46.8%; p = 0.974), fewer adults at SSS wore them before school (3.7% vs 10.2%; p = 0.035). %26lt;br%26gt;Conclusions. SunSmart status is not consistently associated with better hat-wearing behavior. The protective nature of hats and the proportion of school students and adult role-models wearing them could be improved, possibly by offering incentives to schools that promote sun-safety.

• 出版日期2014-3