The relationship between the strength of evidence of effectiveness and the strength of the recommendation is defined at the end of the "Major Recommendations" field.
Recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services regarding the use of selected interventions to prevent skin cancer by reducing exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light
Setting-specific Interventions
Intervention: Educational and policy approaches in primary schools
Task Force recommendation for use: Recommended: sufficient evidence of effectiveness in improving children’s sun-protective "covering-up" behavior
Intervention description: Modified short-term curricula using didactic teaching; interactive class- and home-based activities; interactive CD-ROM multimedia programs, peer education; and policy changes
Key findings: Refer to the original guideline document
Intervention: Educational and policy approaches in recreational or tourism settings
Task Force recommendation for use: Recommended: sufficient evidence of effectiveness in improving adult sun-protective "covering-up" behavior
Intervention description: Single-and multicomponent interventions designed to increase knowledge; influence attitudes, beliefs, and intentions; and change behavior of adults and children
Key findings: Refer to the original guideline document
Task Force conclusion: Insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness in improving children’s sun-protective behaviors
Intervention description: Included one or more of the following: educational brochures, including culturally relevant materials and photographs of skin cancer lesions; sun-safety training of and role-modeling by lifeguards, aquatic instructors, and outdoor recreation staff; sun-safety lessons, interactive activities, and incentives for parents and children; increasing available shaded areas; providing sunscreen; and point-of-purchase prompts
Key findings: Refer to the original guideline document
Intervention: Educational and policy approaches in child care centers
Task Force conclusion: Insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness
Intervention description: Ranged from a curriculum that included interactive classroom and take-home activities to staff education, brochures for parents, and a working session to develop skin protection plans for centers. All focused on some combination of increasing application of sunscreen, scheduling activities to avoid peak sun hours, increasing availability of shade and encouraging children to play in shady areas, and encouraging children to wear sun-screen.
Key findings: Refer to the original guideline document
Intervention: Educational and policy approaches in occupational settings
Task Force conclusion: Insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness
Intervention description: Single-and multicomponent interventions designed to increase knowledge; influence attitudes, beliefs, and intentions; and change behavior of workers. Included one or more of the following: surveys and questionnaires to assess knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, intentions, and behavior; sun-safety training of safety officers, managers, outdoor recreation and swimming pool staff; peer-leader modeling of sun-safe behaviors; brochures or didactic instruction; sun-safety lessons, interactive activities, and incentives for parents and children; provision or promotion of sun-protective gear or products (wide-brimmed hats, long-sleeved shirts, sunglasses, sunscreen, and shade structures); and screening and assessment by dermatologists
Key findings: Refer to the original guideline document
Intervention: Educational and policy approaches in health-care settings and for providers
Task Force conclusion: Insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness
Intervention description: Single-or multicomponent interventions designed to increase knowledge, attitudes, sun-protective behaviors, and counseling behaviors of providers (e.g., physicians, nurses, physician assistants, medical students, and pharmacists), with the ultimate aim of improving clients' sun-protective behaviors
Health-care settings (i.e., pharmacy, drugstore, clinic, physician’s office, and medical schools) also used to recruit and change client’s (patient’s) knowledge, attitude, and sun-protective behaviors
Included provider education sessions, Internet-based education, videos, and role modeling. No policy approaches used in this setting
Key findings: Refer to the original guideline document
Target Population-specific Interventions
Intervention: Interventions oriented to children’s parents or caregivers
Task Force conclusion: Insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness
Intervention description: Single-and multicomponent interventions designed to increase knowledge; influence attitudes, beliefs, and intentions; and change behavior of parents or caregivers (including teachers and coaches) and children under their care. Included one or more of the following: surveys and questionnaires to assess knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, intentions, and behavior; educational brochures, newsletters, tip cards, and postcard reminders at end of summer sun-safety
Key findings: Refer to the original guideline document
Communitywide Interventions
Intervention: Media campaigns alone
Task Force conclusion: Insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness
Intervention description: Mass media with or without small media. Majority were low-intensity interventions using television programs, CD-ROM-based information kiosks, and reporting of UV index. Small media included brochures, flyers, newsletters, informational letters, or videos.
Key findings: Refer to the original guideline document
Intervention: Communitywide multicomponent interventions
Task Force conclusion: Insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness
Intervention description: Combinations of individual-directed strategies, media campaigns, and environmental and policy changes, in an integrated effort in a defined geographic area (city, state, province, or country). Programs may also incorporate setting-specific strategies. Usually delivered with a defined theme, name or logo, and set of messages
Studies were included if they occurred in a defined geographic area and included at least two components and more than a single setting.
Comprehensive communitywide interventions defined as multilevel (i.e., include multiple individual-directed, setting-specific, and communitywide components), addressing a substantial proportion of the population in a defined area, and lasting longer than 1 year
Key findings: Refer to the original guideline document
Definitions:
Strength of Evidence of Effectiveness = Strength of Recommendation
The strength of each recommendation is based on the evidence of effectiveness (i.e., an intervention is recommended on the basis of either strong or sufficient evidence of effectiveness).
If insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness is found, this means that it was not possible to determine whether or not the intervention works based on the available evidence.
