The SunSmart schools program is Cancer Council’s hallmark skin cancer prevention program, designed to reduce the harms that UV radiation presents to children. Current reach data for Cancer Council NSW (CCNSW) indicates that 86% of NSW Primary Schools are currently or have previously been a SunSmart member. However, some studies indicate that SunSmart membership may not necessarily translate to sun safe behaviours.
Using a robust sample, a 2021 CCNSW SunSmart impact evaluation found that while sun safety is widely valued by school stakeholders, a schools’ perceived membership status was a stronger predictor of attitudes, behaviours and outcomes than actual membership. Parents were similarly affected, whereby perceived SunSmart membership status was much more predictive of intentions, behaviours and outcomes than actual membership. This was the case even though their understanding of schools’ membership was limited.
Of the NSW primary schools with a current SunSmart membership, the evaluation found that only 69% were aware of their membership. Of the schools who were not members, 23% who had a lapsed membership, and 19% who had never been members believed that they were current members. SunSmart member schools and non-member schools were found to have similar sun protection measures in place. Provision of sunscreen was the only sun protection activity reported at higher levels in SunSmart member schools – but this was also the case in schools that thought they were members.
A discussion of the complexity of the role of SunSmart membership on sun safe attitudes and behaviours will be explored.