Joni A. Mayer ^1*, Donald J. Slymen ¹, Elizabeth J. Clapp ¹, Latrice C. Pichon ¹, Laura Eckhardt ¹, Lawrence Eichenfield ², John P. Elder ¹, James F. Sallis ¹, Martin A. Weinstock ³, April Achter ¹, Cynthia Balderrama ¹, Gabriel R. Galindo ¹, Sam S. Oh ¹

¹ San Diego State University
² University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
³ Brown University

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jmayer{at}mail.sdsu.edu.

	Abstract

Objectives. We examined whether US Postal Service letter carriers who received a sun safety intervention would wear wide-brim hats and sunscreen significantly more often than those who did not receive the intervention. Methods.We used a 2-group randomized design with 2662 evaluation cohort participants from 70 US postal stations. Evaluations were conducted at baseline, 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years. Questionnaire items assessed occupational use of sunscreen and wide-brim hats. The 2-year sun safety intervention included the provision of wide-brim hats, accessible sunscreen, reminders, and 6 educational sessions. Results. At the 3-month follow-up evaluations, the odds ratio (OR) for regular sunscreen use was 2.8 times higher among the intervention group than among the control group (95% confidence interval [CI]=2.2, 3.5); at the 2-year follow-up evaluations, the rate was still significantly higher (OR=2.0; 95% CI=1.6, 2.6). Intervention group participants also had significantly higher rates of hat use, with the differences remaining consistent across all follow-ups (OR=2.9; 95% CI=2.3, 3.6). Conclusions. The intervention should be disseminated to postal stations nationwide and possibly to other occupational groups that work outdoors.

Key Words: Cancer, Health Promotion, Occupational Health, Prevention

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