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A graded work site intervention program to improve sun protection and skin cancer awareness in outdoor workers in Israel

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Abstract

Objectives: A graded worksite intervention program to improve sun protection and skin cancer awareness of outdoor workers was implemented and evaluated longitudinally over a period of 20 months.

Methods: Outdoor male workers (144/213 recruits) from geographically separated units of the Israel National Water Company were allocated to complete (n = 37), partial (n = 72) or minimal (n = 35) intervention groups. Subsequent to the assignment and training of local safety officers, an educational and medical screening package was provided to the corresponding groups either once, or repeatedly a year later. Personal sun protective gear was provided upon repeated intervention. Outcome measures were evaluated through self-response questionnaires administered prior to the first intervention pulse, and 8 months after the first and second interventions.

Results: A 15–61% improvement in sun-protection habits was noted in the entire study population 8 months after initialization, compared to no sunscreen use, 20% sun-exposed skin area and highest mean occupational exposure dose of 1.68 MED/day at pre-test. An even greater use of sunscreen was evident 1 year later in the complete and partial intervention groups, + 80% and + 52%, respectively. The baseline rate of self-examination of the skin in the same two groups (49%) increased significantly at post-test (+ 71% and + 53%, respectively).

Conclusions: This integrated intervention program led to significantly improved sun protection and skin cancer awareness. Repeated intervention combined with the supply of sun-protective gear contributed to an even greater impact.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Dermatology, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, 52621, Israel;

    Esther Azizi & Felix Pavlotsky

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel

    Pazit Flint & Yehuda Lerman

  3. Clinical Epidemiology, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, 52621, Israel;

    Siegal Sadetzki

  4. Goldschleger Eye Research Institute, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, 52621, Israel;

    Arie Solomon

  5. Medistat, Kfar Saba

    Gil Harari

  6. Department of Nuclear Engineering, Ben-Gurion University, Beersheva, Israel

    Avraham Kushelevsky

  7. Department of Plastic Surgery, Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University, Beersheva, Israel

    Ronen Glesinger & Lior Rosenberg

  8. Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University, Beersheva, Israel

    Esther Shani

Authors
  1. Esther Azizi
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  2. Pazit Flint
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  3. Siegal Sadetzki
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  4. Arie Solomon
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  5. Yehuda Lerman
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  6. Gil Harari
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  7. Felix Pavlotsky
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  8. Avraham Kushelevsky
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  9. Ronen Glesinger
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  10. Esther Shani
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  11. Lior Rosenberg
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Azizi, E., Flint, P., Sadetzki, S. et al. A graded work site intervention program to improve sun protection and skin cancer awareness in outdoor workers in Israel. Cancer Causes Control 11, 513–521 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008970224998

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008970224998

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