Evaluation of an intervention to reduce sun exposure in children - Design and baseline results

The Kidskin Study is a 5-year intervention study (1995-1999) involving 1,77 6 5- and 6-year-old children attending 33 primary schools in Perth, Western Australia. The aim of the study is to design, implement, and evaluate an i ntervention to reduce sun exposure in young children. There are three study groups: a control group, a "moderate intervention" group, and a "high inte rvention" group. The control schools receive the standard Western Australia n health education curriculum, while the moderate and high intervention sch ools receive a specially designed curricular intervention. In addition, chi ldren in the high intervention group receive program materials over the sum mer holidays, when exposure is likely to be highest, and are offered sun-pr otective swimwear at low cost. The main outcome measure is the number of ne vi on the back. Other outcomes include nevi on the chest (boys only), face, and arms, levels of suntanning, degree of freckling, and sun-related behav iors. At baseline, the three groups were similar with respect to nevi and f reckling after adjustment for observer and month of observation. Sun exposu re was slightly higher in the high intervention group. The groups were also similar with respect to most potential confounders, although they differed with respect to Southern European ethnicity and parental education.