AUTHOR=Nguyen Rebecca , Clare Isabelle M. , Gamage Nisali , Alvares Gail A. , Black Lucinda J. , Hart Prue H. , Lucas Robyn M. , Strickland Mark , Jaimangal Mohinder , White James , Gorman Shelley 

TITLE=Developing an Online Tool to Promote Safe Sun Behaviors With Young Teenagers as Co-researchers

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Digital Health

VOLUME=Volume 3 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/digital-health/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2021.626606

DOI=10.3389/fdgth.2021.626606

ISSN=2673-253X

ABSTRACT=Despite education about the risks of excessive sun exposure, teenagers in Australia are sun-seeking, with sunburn common in summer. Conversely, some regular (time-limited) exposure to sunlight (that avoids sunburn) is necessary for vitamin D and healthy bones, and other molecules important for immune and metabolic health. New interventions are thus required to better support teenagers to make healthy and balanced decisions around their sun behaviours. This paper describes the development of a prototype online tool – a smartphone app – which aimed to foster safe sun practices in teenagers. We recruited young adolescents (aged 12-13 years, n=24) as ‘co-researchers’ to provide ongoing input into the nature and design of the online tool. This age group was selected as it is critical time when young people transition from primary education, where ‘SunSmart’ behaviours are entrenched in Australian schools, to high school, where risky behaviours emerge. Through a series of interviews and workshops, we co-designed an Apple iOS smartphone app with co-researchers, leading health promotion professionals, researchers and app designers. The developed app, Sun Safe, contains educational content relevant to teenagers around safe sun behaviours, complemented by other features requested by co-researchers and stakeholders to help engage young people, including: gamified quizzes to test their sun health knowledge; real-time weather data on the UV Index and temperature; a sunscreen application timer; and, reminders to check the UV Index. The developed prototype app was rated well by co-researchers, suggesting it is suitable for further feasibility and efficacy testing as an intervention tool to improve knowledge and promote safe sun behaviours by young adolescents.