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Log On and Prevent Sunburn
By Derval Keenan, 4/23/2004 4:06:44 PM
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Children can now use a computer to help prevent sunburn.
The play-it-cool message came from the Ulster Cancer Foundation at the launch of the province?’s Care in the Sun campaign.
The aim of the campaign is to reduce skin cancer?… it is the most common type of cancer in Northern Ireland and is becoming more common.
By going into the Skin ID section in a special website ?– www.careinthesun.org ?– primary school children can find out how sensitive their skin is to the sun.
The children give details of their eye, hair and skin colouring. They then get printout information on how the sun is likely to affect them and what protective steps they should take.
The steps apply not only to children, but also to adults:
·Avoid the sun between 11am and 2pm
·Wear a broad-brimmed hat
·Wear protective clothing, like a t-shirt
·Use a sunscreen with a sun protective factor of at least 15
·Avoid dehydration ?– drink plenty of water
Sandra Gordon, of the Ulster Cancer Foundation?’s cancer prevention team, said at the launch: ?“The computer project is a game for children, but it is a game with a vital health message.
?“A child receives between half and threequarters of their total lifetime exposure to the sun before they are 18. More than half the skin damage caused by the sun happens during childhood years.?”
The launch was at St Brides Primary School in south Belfast, where children showed their Skin ID skills on computers.
Skin cancers are mainly caused by over-exposure to the sun and account for more than 25% of all cancers in Northern Ireland?… and nearly all the cancers can be prevented if people take precautions. The incidence of malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, has risen substantially over the past 25 years?… from around 48 cases a year in the mid-1970s to the current figure of 180 cases a year.
The Care in the Sun initiative is funded by the Department of Health (DHSSPS) and organised by the Northern Ireland Melanoma Strategy Implementation Group (NIMSIG). The project is co-ordinated by the Ulster Cancer Foundation.
NIMSIG includes various organisations, ranging from the DHSSPS and the four health boards to health promotion departments, council environmental health departments, dermatologists, the Cancer Registry, the Health and Safety Executive, the travel industry and trade unions.
Thousands of sun-advice leaflets have been distributed throughout the province, targeted at all sections of the community, from young people to outdoor workers.
For further information please contact Sandra Gordon or Gerry McElwee, UCF head of cancer prevention on 028 9066 3281
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