HSE and Healthy Ireland launch new SunSmart Toolkit for Primary and Post-Primary Schools

To promote the importance of sun protection in schools, the HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) and Healthy Ireland have announced the launch of the new SunSmart School Accreditation toolkit. The resources now available for primary and post-primary schools.

The toolkit has been developed to provide information and tools for students, teachers, parents and guardians on how to become a SunSmart accredited school, as well as providing learning opportunities on sun protection.

The HSE’s NCCP and Healthy Ireland are encouraging schools across the country to remind students, parents and teachers of the importance of protecting skin from Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. UV radiation is a part of sunlight and it can damage skin and increase the risk of skin cancer. Skin cancer is Ireland’s most common cancer with over 11,000 new cases diagnosed annually.

The good news is that the majority of skin cancers can be prevented by protecting ourselves from the sun’s UV rays, and from artificial sources of UV e.g. sunbeds. This is particularly important for children and young people whose skin is more vulnerable to damage from UV, and this damage is cumulative, adding up over a lifetime.

Castleisland Community College Transition Year students were crowned winners of the Young Social Innovators 2024 for their skin cancer awareness project called ‘Sun Smarties’. Castleisland Community College became the first SunSmart accredited school as part of a pilot. The school designed a four-step process that would enable them to become a SunSmart School, with an opportunity for other schools to implement this model in their own school and become accredited as a SunSmart School.

Shirley O’Shea, the Senior Health Promotion and Improvement Officer - Cancer Prevention for the South West said:

“Castleisland Community College’s project was innovative and has helped to provide other schools with a model to educate students about being “SunSmart,” which can help reduce their risk of developing skin cancer later in life. Children and adolescents spend half of their childhood at school and about eight hours per week travelling to and from school, on lunch breaks, and participating in outdoor school-based activities. Much of this time falls between the hours of 11am and 3pm when the sun's UV rays are at their strongest”.

Playing and spending time outdoors is such an important part of childhood, but it is important that children and adolescents are protected and safe in the sun. Teachers, parents and guardians are important role models. If they adopt sun protection behaviours, children will be more likely to do the same. Make SunSmart part of your daily routine especially from April-September when the intensity of UV radiation from the sun is greatest, even when it is cloudy.

The SunSmart 5 S’s emphasises simple yet effective measures to protect children’s skin:

• Slip on clothing to cover exposed skin
• Slop on broad-spectrum sunscreen on exposed skin with SPF 30+ for adults and 50+ for children which is water resistant. Reapply regularly
• Slap on a wide-brimmed hat to protect the face, ears, and neck
• Seek shade when UV rays are at their strongest, especially between 11am and 3pm
• Slide on UV-protective sunglasses to guard eyes

Remember, do not deliberately try to get a suntan. Avoid getting a sunburn. Never use a sunbed.

Dr Breeda Neville, Specialist in Public Health Medicine, HSE’s NCCP says:

“Sunburn during childhood and adolescence increases the risk of getting skin cancer as an adult. If a child or young person is badly sunburned more than 3 times before the age of 20, they more than double their risk of developing melanoma (the most serious form of skin cancer) as an adult. Primary and post-primary schools can play a key role in educating students about UV radiation exposure, the importance of sun protection and the dangers of using sunbeds”.

SunSmart School Accreditation toolkit - healthpromotion.ie