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Cancer Council SA calls for SunSmart schools
Cancer
Council SA is urging the State Government to enforce SunSmart policies in all
South Australian schools to help reduce the incidence of skin cancer.
Recent
evidence suggests that more than 50 per cent of secondary schools and 16 per
cent of primary schools in South Australia do not have formal sun protection
policies. [1]
“The
first week of summer is the perfect timing to remind the Education Department
and schools across the State the importance of implementing SunSmart policies,”
Chief Executive of Cancer Council SA, Professor Brenda Wilson said.
“We
are asking the Government to introduce a policy mandating all schools to
protect their staff and students from over exposure to UV radiation (UVR).
“Evidence
shows that exposure to UVR during childhood greatly increases the risk of
developing skin cancer later in life.
“We
want the Government to step in and take a strong stance in making all schools
SunSmart.”
Professor Wilson said melanoma was the
most common cancer in young people aged 12-24, with more than double the number
of cases of any other kind of cancer.
“Protecting
children in their childhood and adolescence from over exposure to UV radiation
will significantly lower their risk of skin cancer later in life,” she said.
“Children
and adolescents spend five days a week, 40 weeks a year for 12 years at school
during peak UV radiation times, making it critical for schools to be protecting
their students from over exposure to the sun.”
Professor
Wilson said Cancer Council SA was recommending that all schools implementcomprehensive skin protection policies
which address the areas of curriculum, the environment (shade), skin protection
(clothing, hats, sunscreen) and scheduling of outdoor activities to ensure
children are protected from skin damage.
SunSmart
schools have been found to have a higher standard of policy and practice than
non-SunSmart schools and those schools with a written sun protection policy
have the greatest number of students and staff protecting themselves from the
sun.
Professor
Wilson said the startling evidence about the low percentage of SunSmart
secondary schools in SA was a “real concern”, particularly given recent
research showed that South Australian youths were not getting the SunSmart
message.
“A
recent survey showed that only seven per cent of teenagers are practicing the
three key SunSmart behaviours (slip, slop, slap) and alarmingly, the majority
of those interviewed admitted they preferred to be tanned,” she said.
“Education
and the implementation of policies in schools will go a way towards addressing
this alarming behaviour.”
The
call to government comes a week after Cancer Council SA launched its ‘election
priorities’ - a blueprint for the next state government to reduce the impact of
cancer.
“There
is no other single health or social issued that effects such a significant
proportion of the community as cancer does, with 9,000 South Australians diagnosed
with the disease each year,” Professor Wilson said.
“We
hope all political parties sit up and take notice of our call for improved
cancer control and include our initiatives in their policies.
“Skin
cancer prevention is just one of the initiatives we have highlighted and we
will continue to push for change in the lead-up to the next election.”
For
further information on Cancer Council SA’s services and programs, visit www.cancersa.org.au or call the Cancer Council
Helpline on 13 11 20.
[1] Beckmann K
and Conor P. Sun protection policies and
practices in South Australian secondary schools: comparing 1999 and 2002 survey
results. Cancer Council SA, 204.
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