Sustainability of the Go Sun Smart Program in a Recreation Industry

描述(申请人提供)：户外工作人员患皮肤癌的风险增加，因为职业暴露在阳光下的紫外线辐射。我们的研究团队开发了Go Sun Smart(GSS)，这是一种针对户外工作者的职业防晒计划，并证明了其有效性。我们还评估了向整个北美滑雪业传播GSS的成功的基于理论的策略。这项拟议的研究旨在检查GSS传播的可持续性，并在对工作场所防晒计划的发展、有效性、传播和可持续性进行长达十年的全面审查中提供最终评估。健康干预计划的可持续性对于实现长期的健康行为改变至关重要；然而，关于循证预防计划的可持续性的研究有限。GSS的可持续性将通过观察参加GSS II传播试验的滑雪区继续使用GSS来评估。可持续性评估的具体目标是：1)评估参加GSS II传播试验的工作场所继续使用GSS的情况；2)检查GSS的持续使用是否受到传播策略的影响(基本v.增强)；3)探索GSS中职业防晒原则的持续理论保真度；以及4)确定持续使用GSS是否会影响员工的防晒。我们预计，GSS II推广试验中最初68个滑雪场中的61个将同意参与这一为期两年的GSS可持续性项目。训练有素的研究人员将返回每个滑雪区，观察GSS和非GSS信息的使用情况，以及旨在改善职业阳光安全的行动。我们将使用现场观察、GSS II传播试验中对管理人员的调查的修改版本，以及与高级管理人员进行半结构化访谈的新的试点测试方案，以衡量GSS的持续使用、职业防晒原则的理论忠诚度，以及GSS和防晒在滑雪区组织文化中的整合情况。将使用GSS II传播试验中的员工调查的简化版本对员工进行截取调查，以评估GSS对员工防晒安全的持续影响(例如，暴露在阳光安全信息下，减少晒伤的患病率，以及增加防晒做法的频率)。拟议的项目具有重大意义和创新性，因为它将a)帮助填补一般预防计划尤其是职业防晒的可持续性方面的理解空白；b)探索用于传播计划的策略是否会影响计划的可持续性；c)确定影响计划可持续性的组织特征；d)确定工作场所是否实施了促进职业防晒原则的变化，即使它们不使用GSS；以及e)测试GSS是否继续改善员工的防晒安全。 与公共健康相关：户外工作者患皮肤癌的风险增加，我们的团队开发了一种有效的职业防晒计划，Go Sun Smart。在之前的一项研究中，对向整个北美滑雪行业传播该计划的策略进行了评估，研究人员将返回参与该研究的工作场所，并对他们是否继续使用Go Sun Smart进行最终评估。预防方案的可持续性是公共卫生的一个主要关切，因为持续的干预对于实现健康的长期改善至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Outdoor workers are at increased risk for skin cancer because of occupational exposure to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. Our research team has developed Go Sun Smart (GSS), an occupational sun protection program for outdoor workers, and demonstrated its effectiveness. We also evaluated successful theory-based strategies for disseminating GSS to the entire North American ski industry. The proposed study is designed to examine the sustainability of GSS dissemination and provide a final assessment in a comprehensive decade-long examination of the development, effectiveness, dissemination, and sustainability of a workplace sun protection program. Sustainability of health intervention programs is essential to achieve long-term health behavior change; however, only limited research exists on the sustainability of evidence-based prevention programs. Sustainability of GSS will be assessed by observing continued use of GSS at the ski areas that participated in the GSS II dissemination trial. Specific aims of the sustainability assessment are to 1) evaluate the continued use of GSS by the workplaces enrolled in the GSS II dissemination trial; 2) examine whether continued use of GSS was affect by dissemination strategy (Basic v. Enhanced); 3) explore continued theoretical fidelity of the occupational sun protection principles in GSS; and 4) determine whether sustained use of GSS, if present, influences employees' sun protection. We expect that 61 of the original 68 ski areas in the GSS II dissemination trial will agree to participate in this 2-year project on GSS sustainability. Trained research staff will return to each ski area and observe use of GSS and non-GSS messages and actions intended to improve occupational sun safety. We will use the on-site observations, a modified version of the survey of managers from the GSS II dissemination trial, and a new pilot-tested protocol for performing semi-structured interviews with senior managers to measure continued use of GSS, theoretical fidelity of occupational sun protection principles, and the integration of GSS and sun protection into organizational culture at the ski areas. Intercept surveys with employees using a shortened version of the employee survey from the GSS II dissemination trial will be conducted to assess continued influence of GSS on employees' sun safety (i.e., exposure to sun safety messages, reduced prevalence of sunburn, and increased frequency of sun protection practices). The proposed project is significant and innovative because it will a) help to fill a gap in the understanding of the sustainability of prevention programs in general and occupational sun protection in particular; b) explore whether strategies used to disseminate a program affects its sustainability; c) identify organizational characteristics that affect program sustainability; d) determine whether workplaces implement changes that promote occupational sun protection principles even if they do not utilize GSS; and e) test whether GSS continues to improve sun safety by employees. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Outdoor workers are at increased risk for skin cancer and our team developed an effective occupational sun protection program, Go Sun Smart. In a previous study, strategies for disseminating this program to the entire North American ski industry were evaluated and researchers will return to the workplaces participating in that study and perform a final assessment of whether they continue to use Go Sun Smart. Sustainability of prevention programs is a major concern for public health because sustained intervention is essential to achieve long-term improvements in health.