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6th International Conference on UV and Skin Cancer Prevention: Presentations

6th International Conference on UV and Skin Cancer Prevention: Presentations

Klein Buendel research investigators and staff gave three oral presentations on their skin cancer prevention research at the 6th International Conference on UV and Skin Cancer Prevention in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, September 10-13, 2024.

Presentation 1

Title: Comparison of Two Scalability Methods for Nationwide Dissemination of an Occupational Sun Protection Intervention in a Randomized Trial

Presenter: David Buller, PhD

Authors: David Buller, PhD; Julia Berteletti, MSW; Mary Buller, MA; Kimberly Henry, PhD; Richard Meenan, PhD; Gary Cutter, PhD; Alishia Kinsey, BA; Irene Adjei, BS; Noah Chirico, MPH

The promise of sun protection interventions relies on successfully disseminating them to new populations and settings with sufficient fidelity to be effective. Two methods for disseminating our evidence-based occupational sun protection intervention, Go Sun Smart at Work, were evaluated. One hundred thirty-eight (138) regional districts from 21 state Departments of Transportation throughout the United States were randomized to two scalability methods in a randomized pretest-posttest two-group design. The in-person scalability method included in-person visits to the workplaces to meet with managers and deliver training to employees. The digital scalability method utilized low-cost virtual communication with managers and video training for employees. At posttest, 255 managers reported their program implementation actions while 1387 employees reported receipt of sun safety training/communication and protection practices. Nearly all managers reported implementing training, communication, and sun protection actions, but implementation did not differ by scalability method. However, more employees reported sun protection training and communication from in-person than digital scalability method. Employee sun protection practices were unrelated to scalability method. Both scalability strategies motivated managers to implement sun safety training and communication, and more than other sun safety actions, possibly because training/communication fit into existing safety training processes and communication channels and required few resources. In-person training is preferred by many workers and technological barriers may have interfered with digital training delivery. Restrictions placed on the workplaces due to the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with scalability, possibly biasing the result towards the null. This research was funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (CA210259; David Buller, Principal Investigator).

Presentation 2

Title: The Development of the GSSW SmartBot: A Virtual Guide for Occupational Sun Safety Implementation

Presenter: Mary Buller, MA

Authors: Mary Buller, MA; Barbara Walkosz, PhD; David Buller, PhD; Julia Berteletti, MSW; Brandon Herbeck, B; Irene Adjei, BS; Robert Martin; Steven Fullmer, BFA   

Outdoor workers are exposed to an extreme amount of solar ultraviolet radiation, making them highly vulnerable to skin cancer and heat illness. Increasing disparities in skin cancer survival and heat mortality in Black and Hispanic Americans, who are overrepresented in the outdoor workforce in the United States, highlight the need for inclusive and comprehensive sun safety education. Informed by systematic literature reviews and interviews with employees and managers, Go Sun Smart at Work (GSSW), an evidence-based skin cancer prevention program, was adapted to include enhanced messaging for people of color and to combine skin cancer and heat illness prevention. An online format was used, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to make sun safety implementation accessible, flexible, and simple for employers. A custom intelligent system, the SmartBot, guides employers (for example, safety managers) through three program components: policy, training, and implementation. It asks users questions about their organization and uses an enhanced version of the GravityForms survey engine to identify and tailor sun safety resources based on their responses. As users progress through the SmartBot, they collect resources from a library of sun safety content (Resource Hub). Built with the WordPress Content Management System, the Resource Hub includes informational videos, posters, fact sheets, a 45-minute training with quizzes, and sample safety policies. Users can return to their Resource Hub to retrieve resources or quickly search and filter all the resources in the system. The SmartBot’s impact on employee sun protection will be tested with 20 employers in a randomized field trial. This research was supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (CA257778; Mary Buller, Principal Investigator).

Presentation 3

Title: Bills to Restrict Access to Indoor Tanning Facilities in U.S. State Legislatures, 1991-2023

Presenter: David Buller, PhD

Authors: David Buller, PhD; Julia Berteletti, MSW; Carolyn Heckman, PhD; Kevin Schroth, JD; Alan Geller, RN; Jerod Stapleton, PhD; Irene Adjei, BS; Anna Mitarotondo, BA; Samantha Guild, JD; Jeffrey Gershenwald, MD; Donna Regen, BA

In the United States, indoor tanning facilities are regulated by state legislation and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. State laws with more stringent age restrictions are associated with less indoor tanning by youth. Legislative bills on indoor tanning introduced in states, the District of Columbia (DC), and Puerto Rico were collected and coded for age restrictions, parental involvement, warnings, operator requirements, and enforcement. Overall, 184 bills were introduced in 49 of 50 states and DC between 1991 and 2023, mostly after 2008. Overall, 56 bills were passed and enacted in 47 states and DC, and 126 bills failed. The first bill banning minors under age 18 from indoor tanning facilities was enacted in 2012, with an under-18 ban currently enacted in 22 states and DC. Age restrictions at other younger ages (14-17.5 years) were enacted in 10 other states. In many states, it took several years and proposed bills before a law was passed, with proposed bills typically becoming more stringent over time and enacted bills being more stringent than failed bills. However, warnings, operator requirements, and enforcement provisions were classified as weak in most bills. Association of political party of both bill sponsor and legislative majority with age restrictions and bill enactment were presented. Bills restricting indoor tanning facilities, including those restricting minors under age 18, have garnered support across the U.S. political spectrum. Findings can inform advocates and legislators on ways to increase stringency of indoor tanning laws that can contribute to decreasing rates of melanoma in young adults. This research was supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (CA244370; Carolyn Heckman and David Buller, Multiple Principal Investigators).

Dissemination & Implementation Conference

Dissemination & Implementation Conference

Three occupational sun safety projects were presented by collaborating researchers from Klein Buendel and Emory University at the 16th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health held December 10-13, 2023, in Washington, DC. Each presentation complemented the conference theme of “Raising Expectations for Dissemination & Implementation Science: Challenges and Opportunities,” by approaching occupational skin cancer prevention in a unique and challenging way.  

Poster 1 

Title: Differences in Program Implementation and Sun Protection of an Occupational Sun Safety Intervention: Comparison of Two Dissemination Strategies 

Presenter: Dr. David Buller, Klein Buendel 

Dr. David Buller

Balancing effectiveness and cost is essential when scaling up evidence-based interventions. In this study, two methods for disseminating an evidence-based occupational sun protection intervention that differed in cost and personal contact were compared. Solar ultraviolet radiation is a carcinogen associated with skin cancer. 

Sun Safe Workplaces (SSW), a policy and education intervention, was effective in a randomized trial in Colorado (1,2). Two methods for disseminating SSW were compared in a randomized pretest-posttest two-group trial design. State departments of transportation (DOTs; n=21) participated and the 136 districts within these DOTs were randomly assigned to receive SSW either by an in-person coaching method or a virtual coaching method. In each district, managers were pretested prior to randomization (n=1,484) and posttested (n=289) after 29-40 months (timing and attrition were affected by the COVID pandemic) on implementation of SSW training and communication and personal sun protection practices. Employees (n=1,388) also were posttested on training and communication implementation and personal sun protection practices. 

There was no difference in managers’ reported implementation of sun protection actions at the workplace between dissemination methods. But more employees reported receiving sun protection training in in-person (60%) than virtual (46%) dissemination method and being more favorable toward this training (in-person M=3.70, virtual M=3.60.) Managers at workplaces receiving SSW via in-person dissemination experienced fewer sunburns in the past year while working outdoors than with virtual program delivery (M=0.69 v. M=1.58 sunburns; estimate=-0.875, p<0.011), especially at workplaces receiving it before the pandemic compared to later in the pandemic (in-person=0.43, virtual=0.79). 

Effectiveness of evidence-based programs when scaled-up may be affected by the method of dissemination. Here, in-person coaching may have increased implementation of SSW training. It also may have aided coaches in convincing managers that there was a need for occupational sun safety and motivated them to avoid sunburn themselves and work to make employees see the value in training. The virtual delivery method may not have affected employees’ personal protection because they had limited contact with the coaches. Pandemic restrictions may have reduced intervention success. 

This research was supported by a grant (CA210259; Dr. David Buller, PI) from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Coauthors on this poster presentation included Ms. Julia Berteletti and Ms. Mary Buller from Klein Buendel; Dr. Kimberly Henry from Colorado State University; Dr. Richard Meenan from Kaiser Permanente, and Dr. Gary Cutter from the University of Alabama. 

References 

  1. Buller, D. B., Walkosz, B. J., Buller, M. K., Wallis, A., Andersen, P. A., Scott, M. D., Eye, R., Liu, X., & Cutter, G. R. (2018). Results of a randomized trial on an intervention promoting adoption of occupational sun protection policies. American Journal of Health Promotion, 32, 1042-1053. 
  2. Walkosz, B. J., Buller, D. B., Buller, M. K., Wallis, A., Meenan, R., Cutter, G., Andersen, P. A., & Scott, M. D. (2018). Sun safe workplaces: Effect of an occupational skin cancer prevention program on employee sun safety practices. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 60, 900-997. 

Presentation 1 

Title: Adaptation of an Evidence-based Occupational Sun Safety Program for Underserved Outdoor Workers in Southwest Georgia

Presenter: Dr. Alex Morshed, Emory University 

Dr. David Buller, Ms. Mary Buller, Dr. Alex Morshed, Dr. Cam Escoffery

African American and Hispanic workers face unique skin cancer risks from UV exposure and are underrepresented in occupational sun safety research. This presentation reported on adaptation of an existing evidence-based sun safety program—Go Sun Smart at Work—to predominantly African American and Hispanic outdoor workers in local government employers in Southwest Georgia. The adaptation is renamed Go Sun Smart Georgia.

The systematic adaptation process was informed by Dr. Cam Escoffery’s Key Adaptation Steps (1), Implementation Research Logic Model (IRLM) (2), and the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications (3). The original intervention promotes workplace policy and education to improve sun protection and was effective in a randomized trial in Colorado (4,5). The team mapped the program and delivery using IRLM and developed an adaptation tracking tool based on Rabin et al. (6) to catalogue and make decisions about potential adaptations. The team integrated multiple sources of information to identify compatible and feasible adaptations: consultation with program experts and community partners, qualitative data collection with outdoor workers and managers at two local government employers (Jul-Sep 2023), and synthesis of literature. 

The intervention includes training of peer coaches; written audit of employer sun safety policies, practices; employee training; and resource website (for example: training, sample policies, print materials, videos). In a pilot study with two local government employers, 11 employees identified by senior managers completed virtual 30-minute instruction to be peer coaches. Peer coaches delivered the sun safety training at staff meetings (21-39 employees per session). Several promising adaptations were identified, including modification of educational materials to better represent the worker population, addressing misconceptions, and use of external peer coaches at the workplace. Interviews with managers and focus groups with employees are in process.  

Adaptation of existing, effective interventions to better address population characteristics and needs can increase feasibility and scalability with employers throughout Georgia, which furthers dissemination and reach of existing evidence base for improving occupational sun safety and preventing cancer. 

This research was supported by a grant (U48DP006377) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Emory University Prevention Research Center (Dr. Alex Morshed from Emory University and Dr. David Buller from Klein Buendel, MPIs). Coauthors on this oral presentation included Ms. Mary Buller, Dr. Barbara Walkosz, Ms. Irene Adjei, Mr. Brandon Herbeck, and Dr. David Buller from Klein Buendel; and Ms. Kayla Anderson, Dr. Cam Escoffery, and Radhika Agarwal from Emory University. 

References 

1.Escoffery et al. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibx067 

2.Smith et al. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-020-01041-8 

3.Wiltsey Stirman et al. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-019-0898-y 

4.Buller et al. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117117704531 

5.Walkosz et al. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000001427 

6.Rabin et al. 2018. https://doi.org/10.3389%2Ffpubh.2018.00102 

Poster 2  

Title: “Technology for Workplace Implementation of Solar Radiation Safety in Response to Climate Change” 

Presenter: Ms. Mary Buller, Klein Buendel 

Ms. Mary Buller

The sun’s energy is both life-saving and life-threatening. Americans who work outdoors are exposed to rising temperatures and extreme levels of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. These exposures, without preventive measures, can cause heat illness, skin cancer, and death. It is estimated that solar radiation contributed to over 350,000 deaths from excessive heat in 2019 and over 120,000 deaths from skin cancer in 2020. The U.S. government recently launched an interagency effort to combat extreme heat, including for persons who work outdoors, and the Surgeon General has identified occupational sun safety as part of a national priority for skin cancer prevention. 

Workplace interviews, a review of literature and existing programs, and expert consultants helped increase dissemination potential by expanding an intervention for occupational skin cancer prevention to include heat illness prevention. Content consultants included safety training professionals, behavioral scientists, and dermatologists. The program, Go Sun Smart at Work, also includes messaging for outdoor workers of all skin types and risk profiles for both heat illness and skin cancer to be delivered online through workplace learning management systems to improve its dissemination. It will be evaluated in 2024 in a randomized controlled trial enrolling 20 worksites, their managers, and outdoor employees. 

A virtual learning environment (VLE) has been programmed to disseminate and guide the implementation of comprehensive sun exposure reduction to workplaces. The VLE is a web-based program with a content database, a media platform for trackable employee training (compliant with eLearning standards), and an innovative, automated decision support tool. The tool is a chat bot-like program that customizes advice on adopting workplace policy and implementing prevention procedures to management’s readiness to innovate on sun safety based on Diffusion of Innovations Theory.  

Solar radiation prevention is urgently needed to help outdoor workers adapt to a warming world. Employers have been adopting virtual training rapidly to improve accessibility, resource and learning efficiency, engagement and information retention, and fidelity and trackability. Improvements in dissemination, training, and practice, as facilitated by this VLE, can save employers time and money, improve employee health behaviors, and reduce solar-related adverse events at work.  

This research was supported by a grant (CA257778; Ms. Mary Buller, PI) from the National Cancer Institute. Coauthors on this poster presentation included Dr. Barbara Walkosz, Ms. Julia Berteletti, Mr. Brandon Herbeck, Ms. Irene Adjei, and Dr. David Buller from Klein Buendel.