HEALTH-EDUCATION ABOUT SUN AND SKIN-CANCER - LANGUAGE, IDEAS AND PERCEPTIONS OF YOUNG-CHILDREN

Excessive sunlight in early childhood is thought to be a risk factor f or skin cancer, We report the use of the 'draw and write' technique fo r determining changing perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of young c hildren (aged 4-12 years) to the sun and skin cancer, Children were as ked to draw pictures and label them in response to a series of careful ly worded invitations and questions. The captions were then analysed t o assess changing views and perceptions about particular issues in rel ation to behaviour in the sun, Four hundred and sixty children complet ed the exercise, An increasing spiral of knowledge with age about effe cts of the sun and appropriate behaviour was demonstrated. The study r evealed a relatively high level of knowledge. Misconceptions and stere otypes were demonstrated, This technique is a simple and effective way of eliciting information from children about health issues. It provid es baseline data for producing material for health education for child ren in relation to sun and skin. It is also a method of assessing the effectiveness in young children of health promotion initiatives.