Will an educational campaign to teenagers through social media means influence perception in the necessity of sunscreen usage during snowy climates and snow sport activities?

There is a very small section of research that focuses on increasing the knowledge of students and other people within the United States on sunscreen guidelines while in snowy climates. Educational campaigns have been held in countries such as Australia, or within America focused towards employees working in Ski Resorts [1]. The campaigns in America have left out impressionable youth, and with this research project the bridge will be made to include them with the hope that they carry on the healthy habit of sunscreen usage for themselves and the next generations.

Skin cancer, according to the CDC, is the most common form of cancer. Children exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UV) or who have experienced sunburns are more likely to develop skin cancer later in life so creating healthy habits early is vital [2]. This will be one of the first campaigns in America targeted directly towards teenagers relating to specifically snowy climates. Marketing for winter sun habits are almost non-existent from major sunscreen companies within the United States. This study can open new doors for different organizations and companies to be encouraged in investing on informing the public on this important yet not widely advertised knowledge of protecting your skin while in the snow. Additionally, this campaign can help empower consumers to take an active role in their skin health and protect themselves against harmful UV.

Educational Campaign: An organized effort to inform and influence members of the public on important issues with the goal of prompting a change in behavior. For this case, the importance of sunscreen use in snowy climates or during snow sports.

Sunscreen: Any form of non prescription drugs that provide sun protection which has been bought by an FDA certified and reputable company that protects from UVA, UVB, or both. 

Skin Cancer: Disease in which skin cells grow out of control [3]. Has the possibility to become deadly through forms such as melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.

Snow Climates: Areas where a person will be exposed to inclement weathers that can cause a negative effect on a persons health due to the snow present.  

The creation of the educational campaign will be a uniquely made set of informational posts in a carousel format to fit Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube formatting. There will be 6 different topics within the posts: the description of sunscreen and it’s uses, the importance of wearing sunscreen for all skin tones, the difference between chemical and physical sunscreens, the reapplication guidelines of sunscreen, the reason behind wearing sunscreen in the snow, others way to protect against ultraviolet radiation other than sunscreen, and a day of condensed recap of all topics. The survey with the launch of the campaign will be available and advertised for participants to fill out through the campaign. Once the two weeks of the campaign have been passed, the data will be processed through a paired t-test and the survey was created with the Theory of Planned Behavior [4] framework in mind from the questionnaire of Yes and No questions which will assess whether there was an impact on the perception of sunscreen usage in the snow as well as comprehensive knowledge on sunscreen. The survey will additionally have stimulus materials in the middle of before and after questions in an effort to prompt a change in perception. Data analysis will be processed using Microsoft Excel.

A total of 33 participants were involved in the questionnaire form Washington State from the ages 13 to 19 with a total of 32 contributing answers (1 participant was not a resident of Washington and therefore did not continue with the survey past cohort data collection). Paired t-test findings are compiled in the tables below. The answers were converted from Yes to 1 and No to 0 in order to be compatible with the Excel statistical analysis software.

The null hypothesis for all tests run is that there is no significant difference between the mean before and after campaign perceptions on the tests' respective topics (importance of sunscreen in the snow, importance of sunscreen in the sun, and knowledge of sunscreen reapplication guidelines). 

The alternative hypothesis is that there is a positive significant difference between the mean before and after campaign perceptions on the tests' respective topics.

1. Further research into the American population’s reception to educational campaigns of other ages outside of Washington may be able to address a more comprehensive plausibility of executing a similar campaign on a larger scale. 

2. Incorporating different content types, expanded platform options, and overall a campaign on a larger scale is necessary to be conclusive and address the full gap of public campaigns on wearing sunscreen all year long, especially during the snow time.

3. Hosting the campaign before the winter season may help to accurately measure whether the campaign has a true impact on sunscreen usage when snow is present.

Should the results be reflective of teenagers' reception of sunscreen in the snow this study’s implications for the field may be significant in a broader context. 

Firstly, this would partly address the gap currently present for an educational campaign with a focus on sunscreen during the snow to the American public. While teenagers were the specific audience tested, the campaign itself by being posted on social media had the opportunity to be shown to people of all ages. Additionally, a gap in the teenage perception of issues such as sunscreen in the snow and applicable public health campaigns could be addressed. More significantly, the results could indicate the current need for an established organization to develop and publish educational material and point towards the success the said campaign would have. 

Considering the increase in cases of skin cancer within the United States and the lack of public knowledge displayed within this study, these conclusions could have a national impact and help our understanding of public education on health aspects to all ages.

[1] Cancer Council. (1981). Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide. Cancer Council. https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/causes-and-prevention/sun-safety/campaigns-and-events/slip-slop-slap-seek-slide

[2] Jindal, A. K., Gupta, A., Vinay, K., & Bishnoi, A. (2020). Sun Exposure in Children: Balancing the Benefits and Harms. Indian Dermatology Online Journal, 11(1), 94-98. 10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_206_19 

[3] United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Sun Safety Facts. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/skin-cancer/sun-safety/index.html

[4] Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T.

Buller, D., Andersen, P., Walkosz, B., Scott, M., Maloy, J., Dignan, M., & Cutter, G. (2012). Compliance with sunscreen advice in a survey of adults engaged in outdoor winter recreation at high-elevation ski areas. American Academy of Dermatology, 66(1), 63-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2010.11.044.

Knobel, P., Zhao, X., Müller, J. K., & Grigoleit, L. P. (2022). Sun-safe behavior and perceptions during winter sports: an Austrian study based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 28(2), 316–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2022.2041205