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Preventing Skin Cancer
Findings of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services on Reducing Exposure to Ultraviolet Light
Prepared by Mona Saraiya, MD;
Karen Glanz, PhD;
Peter Briss, MD;
Phyllis Nichols, MPH;
Cornelia White, MPH;
Debjani Das, MPH
Arch Dermatol. 2004;140:251.
SUMMARY
Rates of skin cancer, the most common cancer in the United States, are increasing. The most preventable risk factor for skin cancer is unprotected ultraviolet (UV) exposure. Seeking to identify effective approaches to reducing the incidence of skin cancer by improving individual and community efforts to reduce unprotected UV exposure, the Task Force on Community Preventive Services conducted systematic reviews of community interventions to reduce exposure to ultraviolet light and increase protective behaviors. The Task Force found sufficient evidence to recommend two interventions that are based on improvements in sun protective or "covering-up" behavior (wearing protective clothing including long-sleeved clothing or hats): educational and policy approaches in two settings—primary schools and recreational or tourism sites. They found insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of a range of other population-based interventions and recommended additional research in these areas: educational and policy approaches in child care centers, secondary schools and colleges, recreational or tourism sites for children, and workplaces; interventions conducted in health-care settings and targeted to both providers and children's parents or caregivers; media campaigns alone; and communitywide multicomponent interventions.
Redacted from MMWR. 2003;52(RR15):1-12.
1 table, 1 figure, 28 references omitted.
From the Divisions of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (Dr Saraiya and Ms Das) and Prevention Research and Analytic Methods, Epidemiology Program Office (Dr Briss and Mss Nichols and White), CDC, Atlanta, Ga; Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, University of Hawaii, Honolulu (Dr Glanz).
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