30 Years of SunSmart: Transforming childhood behaviours to tackle the burden of skin cancer

In 1994, only 19 per cent of primary schools reported students wearing hats. However, over the past 30 years since the introduction of the Victorian SunSmart Schools program, this figure has risen dramatically to 100 per cent.

“It’s remarkable the behaviour changes we’ve seen in primary schools in that parents expect their child to be protected from UV when they go to school,” said Head of SunSmart Victoria, Emma Glassenbury.

“Exposure to UV radiation during childhood and adolescence has a big impact on skin cancer risk later in life. Schools play a significant role in reducing the risk of skin cancer by putting policies in place to reduce UV exposure at school and teaching sensible sun protection habits from an early age.”

Statewide, almost 90 per cent of primary schools are members of the Victorian SunSmart Schools program which currently reaches around 462,000 Victorian primary students and their families. This vital program has expanded nationally, protecting more than 1.5 million children from UV across the country.

Teachers play a pivotal role in implementing measures to protect their students and championing sun protective behaviours in a fun and engaging way to help children create lifelong sun protection habits.

Penshurst Primary School in regional Victoria has been involved in SunSmart since the early years of the program.

“After 24 years it has become second nature to ensure our students are being SunSmart,” said Penshurst Primary School Principal, Fiona Hermon.

“Initially we would really have to focus on reminding the students to wear hats, however, now it is just what we do. Hats are always on, and students search for a hat if they have misplaced theirs.”

“Being in a small country town, we see the students out of hours at times and it is nice to see that these habits are continued at home too, with students wearing hats on sunny days.”

Since the introduction of this program off the back of the extremely successful 'Slip, Slop, Slap' campaign from the 1980s, there has been a large decline in melanoma rates for people under the age of 50 years - the generation that has grown up with SunSmart messaging.

This change doesn’t happen overnight. It is the result of the enduring impact of communities coming together in support of a common goal.

With your support, we will continue to support families to Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide, and advocate for policies, programs and environments that protect our children from harmful UV.

“The SunSmart Schools Program is a world leading public health success story and we acknowledge the strong support from government and supporters over this time – undoubtedly it is making a significant difference to the burden of skin cancer in this state,” Emma concluded.