Protect children’s skin and be SunSmart this summer at GAA Cúl Camps

The HSE National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) and Healthy Ireland have teamed up with the GAA and Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps to support the Healthy Ireland SunSmart campaign and encourage everyone to be safe in the sun this summer.

The campaign encourages us all to enjoy the sun safely by being SunSmart when outdoors, especially from April to September.

Every year in Ireland, over 1,200 new cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, are diagnosed. If you are badly sunburned more than 3 times before the age of 20, you can more than double your risk of developing melanoma skin cancer as an adult. The partnership with the GAA promotes the important message that if you are involved in outdoor activities to always protect your skin, following the SunSmart 5’S.

We all love the sun, and taking part in sport and leisure activities are good for our physical and mental health. However, while we are spending time outside, we need to be careful about how much of its powerful ultraviolet (UV) rays we are exposed to.

According to Dr Breeda Neville, Specialist in Public Health Medicine at the HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP): “Children’s skin is very sensitive to UV from the sun. Sunburn during childhood increases the risk of getting skin cancer as an adult. Children copy those around them and learn by imitation. Establishing good sun protection habits early on is important, as behaviours learned at a young age are more likely to be adopted for life. We can all protect our skin and enjoy the outdoors by following the simple Healthy Ireland SunSmart 5 S’s.”

Healthy Ireland’s simple SunSmart 5 S’s tell you how you can enjoy spending time outdoors in the sun, protect your skin and avoid getting sunburnt.

• Slip on clothing: We need to cover our skin as much as we can, using tops that have long sleeves to cover arms and collars to cover our neck
• Slop on broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen on exposed areas. Children need a stronger sunscreen than adults, with a SPF of at least 50, while adults should wear a sunscreen with a SPF of at least 30. The sunscreen used should be water resistant and be reapplied every couple of hours
• Slap on a wide-brimmed hat: This will shade the face, ears and neck from the sun.
• Seek shade - especially if outdoors between 11am and 3pm and always use a sunshade on a child’s buggy
• Slide on sunglasses to protect eyes

Remember even when it is cloudy you should protect your skin as the sun’s UV rays can travel through cloud.

Colin Regan, GAA Community & Health Manager, GAA says: “I think it's incredibly important for GAA players, support staff, coaches, volunteers and family members to be aware of the SunSmart 5 S’s. We can all enjoy being outdoors while also thinking about how to protect our skin when outdoors”.

As part of this campaign, Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camp coordinators have been trained in SunSmart 5S’s for skin cancer prevention and to run similar workshop to the coaches in their local areas. The GAA Cúl Camp coaches have been introduced to the SunSmart programme and will encourage children to protect their skin by following the SunSmart 5 S’s when outside.

Seán Gannon, National Cúl Camp Coordinator, GAA says: “Throughout our summer camps we will be promoting the SunSmart message. We are supporting our coaches to teach children about the importance of how to protect their skin from the sun. We encourage everyone to enjoy a healthy outdoor lifestyle, while also protecting yourself and children as part your daily routine from April to September”.

For more information and to learn how to protect yourself and your family, visit the SunSmart hub and check out #SunSmart on social media.