Skin Cancer: Mass Media

Summary of CPSTF Finding

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) finds insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness of mass media interventions to prevent skin cancer by reducing exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Although available evidence generally indicates that mass media interventions are associated with improvements in protective and preventive behaviors, the small number of studies, several with methodological limitations, make it difficult to draw clear conclusions.

Intervention

Mass media interventions to prevent skin cancer by reducing individuals’ exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation use communication channels such as print media (e.g., newspapers, magazines), broadcast media (e.g., radio, television), billboards, or the Internet to disseminate information, behavioral guidance, or a combination of these to wide audiences. Messages may target specific audiences, although the interventions typically rely on broad distribution channels. Some interventions provide up-to-date information about the intensity of the sun’s rays (UV index), with the goal of raising awareness of the dangers of UV exposure and prompting sun protection measures. Others use persuasive techniques intended to change knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, intentions, and behaviors related to sun-protection and skin cancer.

Although this review assessed the effectiveness of mass media interventions themselves, eligible interventions could also use small media (e.g., brochures, flyers, newsletters) or promotional products to increase awareness of campaign messages.

CPSTF Finding and Rationale Statement

Read the full CPSTF Finding and Rationale Statement for details including implementation issues, possible added benefits, potential harms, and evidence gaps.

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About The Systematic Review

The CPSTF finding is based on evidence from a systematic review of 4 studies (search period January 1966 May 2011). The review was conducted on behalf of the CPSTF by a team of specialists in systematic review methods, and in research, practice, and policy related to preventing skin cancer. This finding updates and replaces the 2003 CPSTF finding on Mass Media Campaigns.

Summary of Results

Four studies were included in the evidence review, and results showed favorable effects for the following outcomes.
  • Sun protective behaviors (3 studies)
    • Interventions led to overall increases in sun protective behaviors (e.g., use of sunscreen, protective clothing, hats, and shade) among adults and children.
  • Risk behaviors (2 studies)
    • One study showed that increased exposure to televised messages about sun protection (1987-2002) was associated with a decrease in amount of exposed skin on the average person’s body (2.0% decrease per 100 target audience rating points [TARP] increase in advertising intensity)
    • Another study showed an anti-sunbed campaign resulted in decreased use of tanning beds.
      • Overall incidence of tanning bed use (odds ratio [OR]=0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.54, 0.69)
      • Proportion of children (<13 years) who had ever used tanning beds ( 5 percentage points, p< 0.001)
      • Proportion of teens (13-15 years) who used tanning beds ( 10 percentage points, p<0.001)

Summary of Economic Evidence

An economic review of this intervention was not conducted because CPSTF did not have enough information to determine if the intervention works.

Applicability

Applicability of this intervention across different settings and populations was not assessed because CPSTF did not have enough information to determine if the intervention works.

Evidence Gaps

The CPSTF identified several areas that have limited information. Additional research and evaluation could help fill remaining gaps in the evidence base. (What are evidence gaps?)
  • High-quality studies are needed on the effectiveness of mass media interventions to reduce UV exposure, including:
    • Studies with unexposed comparison communities
    • Studies assessing the varying effects of intervention intensity
    • Interrupted time series studies
  • More evidence is needed to determine variability in the effectiveness of interventions by type of message (e.g., information only versus persuasive messages), or types of channel used (e.g., internet, newspaper).
  • More research is needed to examine interventions that use social media to disseminate messages.

Study Characteristics

  • Studies were conducted in Australia (2 studies), the United States (1 study), and Denmark (1 study).
  • The studies included in this review evaluated mass media interventions that delivered persuasive massages over varying time periods to influence attitudes and behaviors.
  • Two of the included studies evaluated the effectiveness of mass media interventions when implemented alone, and two evaluated mass media interventions used in combination with small media (e.g., brochures).

Analytic Framework

Effectiveness Review

Analytic Framework

When starting an effectiveness review, the systematic review team develops an analytic framework. The analytic framework illustrates how the intervention approach is thought to affect public health. It guides the search for evidence and may be used to summarize the evidence collected. The analytic framework often includes intermediate outcomes, potential effect modifiers, potential harms, and potential additional benefits.

Summary Evidence Table

Included Studies

The number of studies and publications do not always correspond (e.g., a publication may include several studies or one study may be explained n several publications).

Effectiveness Review

Broadwater C, Heins J, Hoelscher C, et al., Skin and colon cancer media campaigns in Utah. Preventing Chronic Disease 2004;1(4):A18.

Dobbinson SJ, Wakefield MA, Jamsen KM, et al. Weekend sun protection and sunburn in Australia trends (1987-2002) and association with SunSmart television advertising. [see comment]. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2008;34(2):94-101.

Koster B, Thorgaard C, Philip A, et al., Sunbed use and campaign initiatives in the Danish population, 2007-2009: a cross-sectional study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2011;25(11):1351 1355.

Smith BJ, Ferguson C, McKenzie J, et al. Impacts from repeated mass media campaigns to promote sun protection in Australia. Health Promotion International 2002;17(1):51-60.

Studies Providing Additional Evidence

Geller AC, Hufford D, Miller DR, et al. Evaluation of the Ultraviolet Index: media reactions and public response.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 1997;37(6):935-41.

Kiekbusch S, Hannich HJ, Isacsson A, et al. Impact of a cancer education multimedia device on public knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors: a controlled intervention study in Southern Sweden.Journal of Cancer Education 2000;15(4):232-6.

Lynch BM, Dunn J. Scoreboard advertising at sporting events as a health promotion medium. Health Education and Research 2003;18(4):488-92.

Theobald T, Marks R, Hill D, et al., “Goodbye Sunshine”: effects of a television program about melanoma on beliefs, behavior, and melanoma thickness. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 1991;25(4):717-23.

Search Strategies

This literature search was performed to provide a systematic review of the evidence to the Guide to Community Preventive Services and update previous reviews of the literature on skin cancer prevention methods (Saraiya et al., 2004).

Effectiveness Review

The updated search applied a slightly broader search strategy than was used in the Saraiya et al. reviews. Three bibliographic databases were searched: MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. The databases searched covered publications in biomedical and behavioral sciences. The types of documents searched in the databases included journal articles, books, book chapters, reports, conference papers, and dissertations.

Search strategies were adjusted to each database, based on controlled and uncontrolled vocabularies and search software. In addition, the bibliographies of all reviewed articles were used to identify any further literature.

The search period was from June, 2000 – May, 2011 for the following updated reviews, though the search was extended to include items published earlier if they had been added to the databases since the last search was performed.

  • Mass media
  • Multicomponent community-wide interventions
  • Childcare center-based interventions
  • High school- and college-based interventions
  • Primary and middle school interventions

The search period was from 2011 – 2013 for the following updated reviews, though the search was extended to include items published earlier if they had been added to the databases since the last search was performed.

  • Outdoor occupational settings
  • Outdoor recreational and tourism settings

Once the literature search was completed, Community Guide staff reviewed the citations using the following inclusion and exclusion criteria to narrow down the publications to be reviewed.

Inclusion Criteria

General Criteria for Community Guide Systematic Reviews

  • Written in English
  • Journal article, government or NGO report
  • Conducted in a high-income country
  • Primary intervention study with one or more outcomes of interest

Intervention-Specific Criteria

Mass Media
  • Interventions provided information through mass media channels
    • Print media (e.g., newspapers, magazines, and billboards)
    • Broadcast media (e.g., television, radio, and billboards)
  • Interventions delivered via Internet or social media are eligible if the messages are intended for distribution to a large audience

Exclusion criteria: Mass media was part of a multicomponent intervention* (e.g., mass media plus environmental/policy interventions)

* Interventions were not considered multicomponent if mass media interventions were accompanied by:

  • Delivery of complementary messages through small media
  • Distribution of promotional materials to increase awareness of campaign messages
Multicomponent Community-Wide Interventions
  • Delivered in a defined geographic area
  • Included multiple distinct components
  • Delivered in more than one type of setting (e.g., school, health care center), or using methods that reach the entire community (e.g., mass media, policy changes)
Childcare Center-Based Interventions
  • Included educational and behavioral activities, environmental and policy changes, or a combination
  • Delivered in child care centers (e.g., daycare, nursery schools, play schools. and pre-schools) with enrolled children of mean age of <5 years
High School- and College-Based Interventions
  • Included educational and behavioral activities, environmental and policy changes, or a combination
  • Delivered in high school, college, or university setting
Primary and Middle School Interventions
  • Included educational and behavioral activities, environmental and policy changes, or a combination
  • Delivered in primary or middle school setting. Studies were eligible if:
    • Median grade level: 8 or lower
    • Median age: 14 years or younger
Outdoor Recreational and Tourism Settings
  • Interventions included educational and behavioral activities, environmental and policy changes, or a combination
  • Delivered in outdoor recreation and tourism setting (e.g., beach resort, swimming pool, zoo park )
  • Interventions must evaluate recommendation outcomes among visitors, including adults and children
Search Terms [ * = truncation ]

actinic keratosis

attitude*

awareness

behavior

carcinoma, basal cell

carcinoma, squamous cell

cognition

health education

health knowledge

health promotion

health screening

keratosis

knowledge

knowledge, attitudes, and practice

melanoma

nevi

nevus

photodamage

policy

prevention

prevention health care

preventive health services

primary prevention

protective clothing

public policy

screen*

skin aging

skin cancer

skin neoplasms

solar exposure*

solar keratoses

solar protect*

sun damage

sun exposure*

sun protect*

sun safety

sunburn*

sunlight

sunscreening agents

suntan

tanning

therapy

ultraviolet radiation

ultraviolet rays

Search Results
Search Period (2011-2013)
Database Date Searched Results Results after
Removing Duplicates
Medline 4/10/2013 5477 5108
CINAHL 4/9/2013 418 325
PsycINFO 4/9/2013 119 78
Search Period (2009-2011)
Database Date Searched Results Results after
Removing Duplicates
Medline 5/17/2011 5069 4871
CINAHL 5/19/2011 449 443
PsycINFO 5/19/2011 128 87
Search Period (2000-2009)
Database Date Searched Results Results after
Removing Duplicates
Medline 1/06/2010 8120 8007
CINAHL 1/06/2010 1082 1058
PsycINFO 1/06/2010 239 230

Search Strategies

Database: MEDLINE (OVID)
1. exp Skin Neoplasms/

2. skin-cancer.mp.

3. exp melanoma/

4. carcinoma, basal cell/ or carcinoma, squamous cell/

5. nevus/

6. nevi.mp.

7. exp keratosis/

8. actinic-keratoses.mp.

9. skin aging/

10. (sun-damage or photodamage).mp.

11. solar-keratoses.mp.

12. or/1-11

13. primary-prevention.mp.

14. prevention-health-care.mp. or exp preventive health services/

15. therapy.mp.

16. Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice/ or knowledge/ or health-knowledge.mp.

17. (knowledge and attitudes and practice).ti,sh.

18. awareness.mp. or exp cognition/

19. (attitude or attitudes).mp.

20. exp public policy/ or policy.mp. or policies.mp.

21. exp health promotion/

22. exp health education/

23. behavior.mp. or exp behavior/

24. or/13-23

25. 12 and 24

26. mass screening/ or health-screening.mp. or screen*.mp.

27. 25 not 26

28. 25 and 26 and prevention.mp.

29. 27 or 28

30. (sunburn* or suntan* or tanning).mp.

31. ultraviolet rays/ or ultraviolet-radiation.mp.

32. ((sun-exposure* or sunprotect*) and sun-safety).mp.

33. (solar-exposure* or solar-protect*).mp.

34. exp sunlight/

35. exp protective clothing/ or protective-clothing.mp.

36. exp sunscreening agents/

37. or/30-36

38. 24 and 37

39. 38 not 26

40. 38 and 26 and prevention.mp.

41. 39 or 40

42. 29 or 41

[For the April 2009 May 2011 search, performed in May 2011]

43. limit 42 to (English language and yr=”2009 Current”)

44. (200904* or 200905* or 200906* or 200907* or 200908* or 200909* or 200910* or 200911* or 200912* or 2010* or 2011*).ed.

45. 42 and 44

46. limit 45 to (English language)

47. 43 or 46

[For the May 2011 April 2013 search, performed in April 2013]

43. limit 42 to (english language and yr=”2011 -Current”)

44. (201105* or 201106* or 201107* or 201108* or 201109* or 201110* or 201111* or 201112* or 2012* or 2013*).ed.

45. 42 and 44

46. limit 45 to (English language)

47. 43 or 46

Database: CINAHL (EbscoHost)
Limiters – Published Date from: 20090101-20111231; English Language [For the April 2009 to May 2011 search, performed in May 2011]

Limiters – Published Date from: 20110101-20131231; English Language [For the May 2011 to April 2013 search, performed in April 2013]

S57 s56 or s35

S56 s52 or s55

S55 s53 or s54

S54 s51 and s30 and TX primary prevention

S53 s51 and s30 and TX prevention

S52 s51 NOT s30

S51 s50 and s28

S50 s36 or s37 or s38 or s39 or s40 or s41 or s42 or s43 or s44 or s45 or s46 or s47 or s48 or s49

S49 (MH “Sunscreening Agents+”)

S48 TX sunscreen

S47 TX protective clothing

S46 (MH “Protective Clothing+”)

S45 (MH “Sunlight+”)

S44 TX solar exposure* or TX solar protect*

S43 TX sun safety

S42 TX sun protect*

S41 TX sun exposure*

S40 TX ultraviolet radiation

S39 (MH “Ultraviolet Rays”)

S38 TX tanning

S37 TX suntan*

S36 TX sunburn*

S35 s31 or s34

S34 s32 or s33

S33 s29 and s30 and TX “prevention”

S32 s29 and s30 and TX “primary prevention”

S31 s29 NOT s30

S30 (MH “Health Screening+”) or (MH “Mass Screening+”) or TX screen*

S29 s13 and s28

S28 s14 or s15 or s16 or s17 or s18 or s19 or s20 or s21 or s22 or s23 or s24 or s24 or s26 or s27

S27 (MH “Behavior+”)

S26 TX behavior

S25 (MH “Health Education+”)

S24 (MH “Health Promotion+”)

S23 TX policy

S22 (MH “Public Policy+”)

S21 (MH “Cognition+”)

S20 TX “knowledge, attitudes, and practice”

S19 (MH “Knowledge+”) OR (MH “Health Knowledge”)

S18 TX “prevention health care”

S17 MH “Preventive Health Care+”

S16 TX attitudes or TX attitude

S15 TX “awareness”

S14 TX “therapy”

S13 s1 or s2 or s3 or s4 or s5 or s6 or s7 or s8 or s9 or s10 or s11 or s12

S12 TX solar keratoses

S11 TX sun damage or TX photodamage

S10 TX actinic keratoses

S9 TX nevi

S8 TX skin cancer*

S7 (MH “Skin Aging”)

S6 (MH “Keratosis+”)

S5 (MH “Nevi and Melanomas+”)

S4 (MH “Nevus”)

S3 (MH “Carcinoma, Basal Cell”) OR (MH “Carcinoma, Squamous Cell”)

S2 (MH “Melanoma+”)

S1 (MH “Skin Neoplasms+”)

Database: PsycINFO (OVID)
1 exp Skin Neoplasms/ or skin-neoplasm*.mp.

2 skin-cancer*.mp.

3 exp melanoma/ or melanoma*.mp.

4 carcinoma, basal cell/ or carcinoma, squamous cell/ or squamous-cell-carcinoma.mp. or basal-cell-carcinoma.mp.

5 nevus/ or nevus.mp.

6 nevi.mp.

7 exp keratosis/ or keratosis.mp. or keratoses.mp.

8 actinic-keratoses.mp.

9 skin aging/ or skin-aging.mp.

10 (sun-damage or photodamage).mp.

11 solar-keratoses.mp.

12 or/1-11

13 primary-prevention.mp.

14 prevention-health-care.mp. or exp preventive health services/

15 therapy.mp.

16 Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice/ or knowledge/ or health-knowledge.mp.

17 (knowledge and attitudes and practice).ti,sh.

18 awareness.mp. or exp cognition/

19 (attitude or attitudes).mp.

20 exp public policy/ or public policy/ or policy.mp. or policies.mp.

21 exp health promotion/ or exp health education/

22 behavior*.mp. or exp behavior/

23(prevention-health-care or preventive-health-services).mp.

24 cognition/ or cognition.mp.

25 or/13-24

26 12 and 25

27 mass screening.mp. or exp health screening/ or screen*.mp.

28 26 not 27

29 26 and 27 prevention.mp.

30 28 or 29

31 (sunburn* or suntan* or tanning).mp.

32 ultraviolet rays/ or ultraviolet-radiation.mp.

33 ((sun-exposure* or sunprotect*) and sun-safety).mp.

34 (solar-exposure* or solar-protect*).mp.

35 exp sunlight/

36 exp protective clothing/ or protective-clothing.mp.

37 exp sunscreening agents/

38 sunscreening-agent*.mp.

39 sunscreen/

40 ultraviolet rays/

41 protective clothing/

42 sunscreen*.mp.

43 or/31-42

44 25 and 43

45 44 not 27

46 44 and 27 and prevention.mp.

47 45 or 46

48 30 or 47

[For the 2009-2011 search, run in May 2011]

49 limit 48 to (English language and yr=”2009 -Current”)

50 (200904* or 200905* or 200906* or 200907* or 200908* or 200909* or 200910* or 200911* or 200912* or 2010* or 2011*).up.

51 48 and 50

52 limit 51 to (English language)

53 49 or 52

[For the 2011-2013 search, run in April 2013]

49 limit 48 to (English language and yr=”2011-Current”)

50 (201104* or 201105* or 201106* or 201107* or 201108* or 201109* or 201110* or 201111* or 201112* or 2012* or 2013*).up.

51 48 and 50

52 limit 51 to (English language)

53 49 or 52

Considerations for Implementation

CPSTF did not have enough evidence to determine whether the intervention is or is not effective. This does not mean that the intervention does not work, but rather that additional research is needed to determine whether or not the intervention is effective.