Goal 3: To increase the adoption of sun/UV protection behaviours among those with low sun protection behaviours, those at high risk of skin cancer, and the broader community

Overview

In a high-UV environment such as NSW, it is critical that individuals, families and communities understand the risk of skin cancer and adopt the behaviours that are proven to provide protection from harmful UV. In NSW, UV is high enough (i.e. 3 or above) to damage skin at least 10 months of the year,¹⁴ so people need to take action to lower their exposure to UV as they work, learn, and play in their communities.

Delivered by the Cancer Institute, NSW has a record of excellence in government-led social marketing and public education campaigns to address awareness and adoption of sun protective behaviours. The success of these campaigns is largely due to strong alignment to available evidence, extensive research and testing with audiences, use of best-practice behaviour change theory and practice, robust campaign evaluation to guide improvements over time, and coordination across stakeholders. Together with campaign and education activities by Cancer Council NSW and Melanoma Institute Australia, this has been effective in developing sun protection knowledge and awareness across the NSW population and among priority populations. In this way, social marketing and public education campaigns underpin the achievement of many other Strategy initiatives.

Building on our achievements

This Strategy builds on the work of the previous two NSW skin cancer prevention strategies to reinforce sun safe attitudes and behaviours through:

• delivering social marketing and public education campaigns, especially to populations with low sun protection behaviours, those at high risk of skin cancer, and the broader community
• co-designing and implementing tailored, innovative programs in workplace, school, and sporting and recreation settings to increase the adoption of sun protection behaviours.

What success will look like

Successful implementation of the key strategies for Goal 3 will mean that people in NSW, especially those with low sun protection behaviours and at high risk of skin cancer, are aware of sun protection behaviours and practice them regularly at individual, family, and community levels when outdoors.

Recent achievements to increase the adoption of sun protection behaviours

Substantial work has been undertaken from the previous strategies to increase the adoption of sun protection behaviours:

• Social marketing and public education campaigns delivered at a population level and specific campaigns targeting priority populations.
• Tailored, targeted and collaborative programs in school and sporting organisation settings, e.g. Cancer Council NSW’s SunSmart Program in schools and the Improve your long game program in golf settings.
• Detailed programs targeting priority populations, e.g. outdoor workers.