Youth and adolescents are particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation (UV). Despite a history of effective interventions delivered in educational and sporting-based settings, the issue of UV overexposure and inconsistent adoption of sun-safe behaviours remains a significant challenge among this priority group. Local government offers a novel setting and houses unique mechanisms to catalyse improved sun-safe behaviour across socio-economic and environmental boundaries in regional Queensland.
Central Queensland Public Health Unit, in collaboration with the Queensland Health’s Prevention Strategy Branch, sponsored local governments in Central Queensland to deliver youth-oriented health promotion initiatives as part of the Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Project 2022-2026. Two Central Queensland local government youth councils have been supported to design and implement health promotion initiatives to improve youth awareness of, advocacy for, and uptake of sun-safe behaviours.
Based on co-design principles, the project team attempted to maximise youth ownership of sun safety initiatives. In partnership with local council youth coordinators, focus was given to underpinning and embedding all project deliverables with a theoretical foundation concentrated on catalysing health behaviour change.
This presentation will delve into the deliverables, processes, challenges, and learnings from Queensland Health's partnership with local government youth councils and discuss avenues for further exploration of this space to engage youth in skin cancer prevention.