SUN SAFETY EDUCATION FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN HAWAIʻI

Sun Safety Education for Elementary School Students in Hawaiʻi
By Heather Zimmerman, BS, BSN, University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine, and Kevin Cassel, DrPH, MPH, University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center

As global temperatures rise, sun safety measures are increasingly warranted. Although populations in Hawaiʻi experience an average ultraviolet index of 9 (very high), we found that some schools' curricula lacked sun safety educational programs. Implementing preventive sun safety education is necessary to ensure that rates of disease related damage from ultraviolet radiation (UVR) do not continue to rise with the next generation.

This pilot program aimed to prepare and evaluate a 1-hour educational presentation for fourth-grade students on the island of Oʻahu. Utilizing culturally diverse images, we compiled a PowerPoint presentation illustrating the long-term health effects of UVR damage, and the proper use of UV- protective measures such as sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, clothing, and shade-seeking behavior.

The first presentation was delivered on December 1st, 2023, to 70 4th-graders at an elementary school in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Interactivity was stressed, and presenters observed students' responses to questions using a raise of hands. Although we did not officially measure, patterns were evident. For example, in pre-teaching, up to five students raised their hand to each question, with an accuracy of fifty percent at most. After reviewing appropriate protective gear, we again prompted students to identify which type of protective gear was missing in subsequent images. Post-teaching, an estimated seventy-five percent of the students raised their hands for each question, with an observed accuracy of one hundred percent when randomly selected to identify the missing protective gear.

Throughout the presentation, students were engaged; however, participation notably increased post-teaching, and by the end of the presentation, every student selected successfully identified the missing article of protective gear.

Based on these outcomes, we contend that sun safety education is potentially effective when delivered to fourth-grade students in Hawai’i via an interactive, representative PowerPoint, and a formal survey-based study is warranted to validate these observations.

DESIRED IMPACT: This educational series is intended to improve sun safety awareness and practice amongst elementary school students in Hawaiʻi, using materials reflective of the diverse cultures of this region.