In This Issue:
▪ Sun
Safety Alliance: A Strategic Communication and
Entertainment-Education Initiative!
▪ SSA
Collaborates with Crème de la Crème to
Teach Young
Children About Sun Safety
▪ Jeff
Nygaard – How Melanoma Hit Home for this
Professional Athlete
▪ Article:
A Television Tanning Craze and its Effects
on Adolescents
▪ “Picture
This” on Sun Safety
▪ Spring
Sun Safety Tip
▪ 2008
Sun Safety Week – June 1-7
Sun
Safety Alliance, Inc.
A
Strategic Communication and Entertainment-Education Initiative!
The Sun Safety Alliance has
teamed with the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. and George
Mason University’s Department of Communication, to launch a
highly visible national health communication campaign on skin cancer
prevention. This partnership will utilize the power and influence of
the entertainment industry to generate skin cancer awareness through
national public service messages, depiction of sun safety messages in
prime time entertainment programming, video productions created for
parents and organizations, and special educational training programs.
We will be working in over 20 communities nationally to gain
local broadcast station involvement in promoting sun safety and skin
cancer awareness.
Phil Schneider, Chairman of SSA
stated, “I believe the new partnerships we are developing are
unique and will prove to be an asset to the entire sun safety and
skin cancer prevention field.”
Brian Dyak, President and CEO of
the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc., is dedicated to the
accurate entertainment depiction of health and social issues
including sun safety and skin cancer. With regard to skin cancer
prevention, Brian noted, “National health communication
strategies that give voice to children and adolescents, and focus on
conversations between patients and physicians on skin cancer
prevention are needed to increase awareness on this dangerous issue.”
Dr.
Gary Kreps, The Eileen and Steve Mandell Professor of Health
Communication and Chair of the Department of Communication at George
Mason University, is an internationally recognized health
communication and health promotion scholar with broad experience with
cancer prevention and control. He directs the Center for Health and
Risk Communication at George Mason University and is a scientific
consultant to major Federal agencies such as the National Cancer
Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and
many prominent health advocacy organizations including the American
Cancer Society.
Dr.
Kreps stated, "I am pleased to work closely with the Sun Safety
Alliance and the Entertainment Industries Council to develop,
implement, test, and refine innovative evidence-based communication
strategies for reducing skin cancer incidence and mortality. Skin
cancer is one of the most insidious, widespread, and dangerous forms
of cancer. It develops invisibly over the years, primarily through
overexposure to the sun's dangerous rays. Yet, by providing relevant
and timely health information to those people at greatest risk, we
can promote the adoption of risk reduction and early detection
activities that will protect the public from skin cancer. This is our
goal!"
TOP
SSA
Collaborates with Crème de la Crème to Teach Young
Children About Sun Safety
The
Sun Safety Alliance, in
association with EIC, and with support from the Sabra Dalby Rightmire
Foundation for Melanoma Education and Research, has launched the Sun-Safe Childcare
Project in Crème de la Crème® Early Learning Centers of Excellence® in 8
markets nationally. Dr. Charlotte Hendricks, Project Director,
presented new materials to the Executive Directors of the 20 Crème de la Crème® learning centers during their recent annual
training event in Colorado.
The
SSA’s Sun-Safe
Childcare Project materials include a staff training module, children’s learning
activities, and parent education materials. Each Crème de
la Crème®
school was provided with a staff training module including the
trainer’s guide, illustrated PowerPoint slide presentation,
instructions and props for hands-on participant activities,
reproducible handouts, and evaluation forms. In addition, each school
received reproducible parent information sheets, instructions for
children’s learning activities, and reproducible children’s
take-home booklets.
Kelly
Erikson, owner of Rocky Mountain Sunscreen (www.rmsunscreen.com)
also attended the training program to answer questions on safety and
effectiveness of sunscreen products for children.
The
Crème de la Crème® Executive Directors are working with SSA staff to
measure the impact of this integrated program on staff and parents of
children enrolled in Crème de
la Crème®
early learning programs. The evaluation design includes qualitative
and quantitative methods.
Crème’s
learning-oriented floor plan reflects safety and security and
attention to detail, while enhancing the concept of keeping children
engaged as they learn. “We offer an enriched learning
experience, and our educational model ensures that each child
receives individualized attention. Partnering with the SSA Sun–Safe
Early Childhood Project will help us continue to provide families
with the most cutting edge information and services,” said Jody
Martin, Crème’s National Director of Education and
Training.
Established
in 1982, Crème de la Crème® Early Learning Centers
of Excellence® is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado.
The company is a national network of early learning centers located
throughout the country including Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Chicago,
Cincinnati, Kansas City, Sterling, Virginia and Mt. Laurel, New
Jersey. More information can be accessed at www.cremedelacreme.com or by calling 303-773-6607.
For
more information on the SSA Sun-Safe Early Childhood Project or to
order materials for your early childcare and education program,
please contact Dr. Charlotte Hendricks at chendricks@childhealthonline.org.
You can also view Early Childhood Education resources at http://www.sunsafetyalliance.org/resources.html.
TOP
A
Note From Jeff Nygaard
How
Melanoma Hit Home for this Professional Athlete
Three-time Olympian volleyball
player
Seven-time AVP Open Champion
Two-time MVP and NCAA Champion
Melanoma Survivor
As
a professional volleyball player, I spend a lot of time outdoors in
the sun. From practice and competition to a family outing at the
beach, being outside in direct sunlight is a huge part of my everyday
life. Last year, however, I was faced with the harsh reality of sun
exposure—I was diagnosed with carcinoma
and melanoma, two
types of skin cancer.
This
painful realization of the inconsistency between my image as a
healthy, tan beach athlete and where I found myself after my
diagnosis really focused my priorities. My education of sun
safety came quickly, but not as quickly as the desire to educate
others so that they may never find themselves in the situation I was
in. By serving on the Board of Directors of the Sun
Safety Alliance, I am
now in a better position to help spread the word and educate people
across the country on the effects of the sun.
My
personal experience with skin cancer and my position as a
professional beach volleyball player presents me with a great
opportunity to reach out and educate people about the importance of
sun safety. The truth is that there are 1.2
million people diagnosed with skin cancer every year, and melanoma kills one person every hour.
Improving
public awareness will help reduce skin cancer rates by informing
people on the ways that they can protect themselves from overexposure
and help bring the statistics down. Unfortunately, in some older
adults, the damage has already been done. However, it is never too
late to start practicing sun safety, and it
is especially important that parents keep their children informed and
protected.
Important
tips for being sun-safe
Remember that the sun is
strongest between 10:00AM and 4:00 PM.
-
Wear a wide-brimmed hat and
UV protective sunglasses
-
Remember that UV rays bounce
off of sand, snow, concrete, and water
-
Do not use tanning beds or
sun lamps
-
Keep very young children (6
months or less) out of the sun
-
Provide complete sunscreen
coverage for your skin (including neck, ears, and lips)
-
Sunscreen should be applied
liberally and evenly over all exposed areas
-
Use sunscreen SPF 30 or
higher
-
Use lipbalm with SPF 15 or
higher
-
Apply sunscreen before going
outdoors and reapply often
-
Reapply sunscreen after
swimming, perspiring, and toweling off
-
Stay in the shade whenever
possible
I
continue to compete in beach volleyball, and I continue to refuse to
let cancer stop me from living my life. Armed with the proper
knowledge about sun safety and the best ways to protect myself, I can
focus on my career—and on raising awareness about preventable
skin cancers caused by the sun. My goal is reach young parents,
children and teens and ideally see the fans of Beach Volleyball who
attend our competitions realize that being red as a lobster by the
end of the day is not healthy and is a dangerous behavior putting
them at risk for skin cancer. The key message I hope to impart is
that sun safety can help curb a significantly preventable disease
so…learn, don’t burn!
TOP
A
Television Tanning Craze and its Effects on Adolescents
The
SSA, through our partnership with the EIC, is confident that our
efforts to promote positive skin cancer awareness messages in
entertainment media will not only be an effective tool for prevention
education, but will impact the healthy behavior choices of
adolescents.
In
a recent article by dermatologist Robin L. Hornung, MD, MPH, FAAD,
and her collaborator Solmaz Poorsattar’s(2008), TelevisionTurning More Teens Toward Tanning?, the authors address the negative implications of popular televisionprogramming on adolescent health. E! Television’s Sunset
Tan series and MTV’s The Real World: Key
West, are television
shows highlighted in the article with celebrity appearances from
Britney Spears and Paris Hilton popularizing the bronzed fake-tan
look. The media undoubtedly has strong influences on young women’s
self images. Young women are inclined tobelieve that bronze =
beautiful with the glamorization of tanning salons in popular
entertainment media and may be prone to engage in unhealthy behaviors
as a result.
Uniquely,
awareness is the key. Larry Deutchman, EIC’s Vice President of
Entertainment Industry Relations said, “More of the
entertainment companies are intentionally working to encourage
behavior that prevents skin cancer. They may be reflecting the
popular culture, but that can change through education and creative
resources about sun safety and skin cancer prevention.”
However,
the negative implications of the media in regards to sun safety are
only one side of the coin. The
Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC) is a powerful example of how media can also be an effective
channel for providing positive skin cancer prevention education
messages. For example, the EIC provides entertainment creators with
sun safety depiction
suggestions that screenwriters can easily incorporate into their storylines. The
EIC also holds briefings to educate entertainment talent on health
and social issues, including sun safety. Their Spotlight
on Sun Safety and Profile publications highlight
the importance of generating sun safety awareness in entertainment
media.
TOP
Entertainment
Industries Council, Inc. and NAB to Host a Picture
This Meeting on Sun Safety in Washington, DC during Sun Safety Week!
The
Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. convenes forums, called Picture This, that bring together constituency groups outside of the entertainment
industry to discuss health and social issues and develop priorities
for the entertainment industry in addressing those issues. The
Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. will be hosting a Picture
This meeting on skin
cancer and sun safety with help from the National Association of
Broadcasters (NAB), the Sun Safety Alliance, skin cancer experts, and
writers and producers from the entertainment industry in June. This
meeting and subsequent EIC publication will provide suggestions for
the depiction of key issues regarding skin cancer to improve public
awareness on this important topic. The meeting will focus on
opportunities and challenges for addressing skin cancer and sun
safety in entertainment productions. More information on this coming
soon!
Please
visit www.eiconline.org or call the EIC at (703) 481-1414 for more information on Picture
This briefings.
TOP
Spring
Sun Safety Tip
Springtime
can mean fun in the sun with family vacations, outdoor sports and
activities, and spring break trips. Be sure to “block the sun,
not the fun” by applying sunscreen SPF
30+ about 20 minutes before going outdoors and by reapplying often!
Remember, the sun is at its highest and strongest between 10:00
AM-4:00 PM.
The
SSA encourages parents to lead by example. If you practice sun
safety, your children are likely to model those sun safe habits.
Teach your children at an early age to wear hats, sunglasses, and
sunscreen outdoors.
TOP
2008
Sun Safety Week is June 1-7
The
Sun Safety Alliance is pleased to announce collaboration with HealthyCHILDCare® magazine’s special issue
devoted to summer safety! Healthy Childcare® is a
bimonthly publication for childcare programs devoted to health and
safety issues. This upcoming publication will feature sun safety,
food safety in hot weather and for field trips, social aspects of
outdoor play, heat related illnesses, and skin cancer detection and
prevention. Be on the lookout for Healthy Childcare's® June-July issue on summer and sun safety for children in a
childcare setting coinciding with National Sun Safety Week! For more
information visit, www.healthychild.net or call 877-258-6178.
TOP
For more information contact the Sun Safety Alliance
adamelio@sunsafetyalliance.org
www.sunsafetyalliance.org
