Assessing the impact of the skin cancer awareness now (SCAN!) intervention several months following the intervention.

BACKGROUND

West Virginia (WV) is the third most rural state in the US and has a high incidence of skin cancer. Intervention efforts in WV are impeded by structural barriers, low health literacy, and lack of health care access. Community pharmacies and pharmacists are highly accessible and may be helpful in promoting skin cancer prevention.

OBJECTIVE(S): The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of the Skin Cancer Awareness Now (SCAN!) pharmacy-based sun-safety intervention at follow-up.

METHODS

Surveys assessed SCAN's effect on skin cancer prevention at preintervention and follow-up. The follow-up survey was administered between 8 and 12 months after our initial feasibility study. Questions included demographics, cancer history, cancer worry, knowledge, cancer communication, and skin cancer screening intentions. Multivariate repeated measures ANOVA assessed the change in worry, importance, knowledge, and intentions to be sun safe.

RESULTS

Participants (n=56, response rate= 62.2%) had a mean age of 44.7 (standard deviation: 19.3) years. Most were females (87.5%), Whites (92.9%), and 48.2% lived in rural areas. Knowledge and intentions significantly improved over time. At follow-up, participants (41.1%) mentioned that they plan on discussing skin cancer prevention with their pharmacist in the future.

CONCLUSION

The SCAN! intervention can be a useful resource for skin cancer prevention in community pharmacy settings. Community pharmacies have the potential to be change agents in skin cancer prevention by providing education on sun protection or detection and by promoting sun-safety behaviors.