Positive impact of Distintivo Soludable on implementation of sun protection policies and practices in schools of Andalusia, Spain.

The incidence of skin cancer is increasing worldwide even though its main risk factor is preventable. This study evaluated the impact of the Distintivo Soludable pilot intervention on implementation of photoprotection policies and practices in preschool and primary schools in Andalusia, Spain. We completed two rounds of a Sun Protection Policies and Practices Survey (SPPPS) nine months apart. At baseline, 67 Andalusian schools earned a median score of 3/12 points (range 0-8; IQR: 2). Ten schools involved in Distintivo Soludable intervention group significantly increased their scores from 4 to 7.5/12 points (p = 0.014). We also detected a modest positive effect in 57 control group schools, an increase from 2 to 3 points (p = 0.002). This pilot study demonstrated that the main achievement of the Distintivo Soludable intervention was implementation of organizational policies regarding sun protection, an essential starting point for establishing positive attitudes toward sun protection in school communities.

Creation Of The «Soludable¼ Sun Protection Accreditation Program For Schools. / Creación del distintivo Soludable: un modelo de certificación en fotoprotección para centros escolares.

INTRODUCTION: Sun exposure during childhood is the main risk factor for skin cancer in later life. School-based sun protection policies and practices have proven to be the most effective and cost-effective strategies for preventing skin cancer. OBJECTIVE: To develop a sun protection accreditation program known as «Soludable¼ (a play on the Spanish words sol [sun] and saludable [healthy]) to objectively identify schools that actively promote sun protection behaviors among students. METHODS: The consensus method used was a 2-round Delphi technique with input from a panel of experts. We then calculated the median scores for the importance and feasibility of each of the recommendations proposed and the level of complexity assigned to each recommendation by counting the percentage of experts who chose each difficulty category. RESULTS: The resulting accreditation model consists of 14 recommendations with corresponding evaluation criteria divided into 7 domains: 1) organizational leadership (5 recommendations), 2) effective communication (2 recommendations), 3) structural elements (2 recommendations), 4) training of professionals (1 recommendation), 5) school curriculum (1 recommendation), 6) behavioral models (2 recommendations), and 7) student habits (1 recommendation). A high level of agreement among experts was observed for all recommendations, in terms of both their perceived importance and feasibility and their categorization by levels of complexity. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first sun protection accreditation program developed for Spanish schools. Studies are needed to evaluate how this program is received and how it affects students' sun protection behaviors.