Interesting outcomes for this summer from the Sun Assessment Family Experience (SAFE) program ( Homepage | SAFE – Mysun ). Launched in 2021 by Pierre Fabre Laboratories, the program investigates the reasons why sun safety instructions are followed poorly on average by the younger generation.
More than 50,000 people from the adult populations of 20 countries on five continents (representing 50% of the world’s population) responded to on line questionnaires.
The first key outcome shows that the overwhelming majority (95%) of respondents understand the sun safety messages, but only one in five actually follows them. The second outcome shows that only a quarter (24%) of participants apply sun protection every two hours. Of those who don’t, 76% say that this happens because of forgetfulness, tedious nature of the application to the skin or cost of the sunscreen products. Young people’s attitudes towards sun exposure are also worrying. Although 53% of them are looking to avoid sunburn, only 21% consider skin cancer prevention to be a priority. Accelerated skin ageing is a concern for 40% of the young people surveyed. According to the study, the prevalence of applying sunscreen every two hours was highest in the 16-34 age group (27%) but gradually decreases with age (25% for 35-54 year olds and 12% for those over 55). One of the strengths of this programme is that Pierre Fabre Laboratories directly asked young adults to invent new communication ideas for sun protection by themselves. In France, the “MySun Students Voices” project conducted in partnership with France Asso Cancer et Peau and students from the ISEG communication and e-Artsup visual creation schools in Nantes (among the regions most affected by melanoma) won a price at the Festival de la Communication in Deauville in March 2024 (see Sun exposure and protection habits: Self‐reported attitudes, knowledge and behaviours – Lim – Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology – Wiley Online Library).
This summer siHealth Ltd – a hi-tech company specialised in digital healthcare solutions based at Harwell Campus (Oxfordshire, UK – www.sihealth.co.uk) – has been involved as partner of the MySun Student Voices program for engaging young generations (Survey 2024 | SAFE – Mysun). They provide an innovative app for personalised sun protection which enables real-time awareness of potential health risks in the sun. It automatically monitors users’ exposure to sunlight throughout the day, thanks to real-time satellite data and AI-enabled detection of indoor/outdoor position. The app – a CE-marked class 1 digital medical device called “Sun4Health” – will support users as a personal “sun safety coach”, providing personalised recommendations and tips for healthy lifestyle outdoor by correctly using sunscreens.
The opportunity of collecting feedbacks from students and patients associations (such as the Association Française du Vitiligo and France Asso Cancer et Peau) during their pilot test of Sun4Health this summer will be of huge importance for assessing the behavioural impact of this innovative digital solution. In particular, the assessment of its efficacy for the prevention of photoinduced skin diseases will be relevant in relation to the official public launch of Sun4Health during the “UV and Skin Cancer Prevention” International Congress in Australia in September (Skin Cancer 2024).
Read here the original article in French: Les jeunes générations face au défi de la prévention solaire – Industries Cosmétiques (industries-cosmetiques.fr)
