EFFECTIVENESS OF 2 STRATEGIES FOR DISSEMINATION OF SUN-PROTECTION POLICY IN NEW-SOUTH-WALES PRIMARY AND SECONDARY-SCHOOLS

With rising rates of skin cancer in Australia, there is a need to exam ine strategies to reduce sun exposure among children. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a multifaceted dissemination strate gy compared with a Simple mail-out strategy in promoting the adoption of comprehensive SunSmart skin protection policies and practices in pr imary and secondary schools in New South Wales. It also aimed to exami ne characteristics of the primary and secondary schools that adopted a comprehensive SunSmart policy before and after the intervention. Four hundred randomly selected primary schools and all 381 high schools in New South Wales were randomised to one of two intervention groups. Pr etest and post-test surveys of principals were undertaken in 1991 and 1992. Intervention I was a simple mail-out of a sample sun-protection policy kit. Intervention 2 comprised the mail-out of the policy kit an d a follow-up mail-out of a staff development module. There was a stro ng intervention effect on adoption of a comprehensive sun-protection p olicy in primary schools (21 per cent for the 'mail' group compared wi th 44 per cent for 'mail and staff support' group) but not in high sch ools (6 per cent and 11 per cent). There was little relationship betwe en adoption of a comprehensive sun-protection policy and sun-protectio n practices in primary or secondary schools. Further research is neede d to determine the most effective ways of ensuring that adoption of a comprehensive sun-protection policy results in effective implementatio n of sun-protection practices in schools.