8 October 2008

SunSmart Schools cool places to be!

With the start of term four the Cancer Society is urging principals and teachers to review their school’s sun protection policy.

Schools play an important part in sun protection for kids, as New Zealand has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world and excessive exposure to UV radiation in childhood and adolescence increases the risk of skin cancer.

The Cancer Society has developed a SunSmart Schools Accreditation Programme which assists schools to develop a policy covering key areas including: sun protection, role modelling, student education and use of shade.

To gain accreditation schools must implement a sun protection policy, which meets the Cancer Society’s minimum criteria, in terms one and four. The two terms span October through to late March when the levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) are generally high in New Zealand, particularly between 11am and 4pm.

And while it is often assumed that sun protection is not important on cool or cloudy days, radiation does pass through cloud, so protection is still important.

Commenting on the programme Mary Duignan, Cancer Society Health Promotion Advisor responsible for SunSmart schools said, “the programme, which includes primary and intermediate schools, is really taking off and it is great to see the participation across the country – especially with summer not too far away.

“Astoundingly there were 30 new applications and 30 schools were accredited in the last seven weeks to the end of September, 2007.”

Since the programme was introduced nationally in November 2005, 193 schools have applied and currently there are 80 accredited, with the others working hard to get there. The number of applications represents 8.2% of eligible schools.

The SunSmart schools website www.sunsmartschools.co.nz provides a full range of information about how schools and parents can help protect children from the sun, as well as all the necessary supporting materials and resources for the SunSmart Schools Accreditation Programme covering years one to eight. To make it easy there is even a draft sun protection policy on the site which schools can adapt and use. Cancer Society Health promoters are available across the country to assist with the accreditation process.

The Cancer Society of New Zealand is the leading charity dedicated to reducing the incidence of cancer and ensuring the best cancer care for everyone in New Zealand.

-Ends-