The effect of 'I am Protecting my Child from the Sun' programme on parental sun protection behaviours: Randomized controlled trial.

AIMS: This study aims to examine the effect of the 'I am Protecting my Child from the Sun' program based on the social cognitive theory, on parental use of sun protection products and sun avoidance behaviours.

DESIGN: Cluster randomized controlled trial.

METHODS: The study was conducted with three groups using a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design. The study included 185 parents, of which 63 were in the education group, 62 were in the education + SMS group, and 60 were in the control group. The parents in the intervention group were engaged in the 'I am Protecting my Child from the Sun' program for a period of 6 weeks, while the education + SMS group, in addition to the program, also received. Primary outcomes include sunscreen use and sun avoidance behaviour and secondary outcomes were self-protection and protection of their children's behaviour. A repeated-measures ANOVA and marginal homogeneity were the main statistical tests.

RESULTS: The interventions made as part of the 'I am Protecting my Child from the Sun' program increased the following behavioural components of parents in the education group and the education + SMS group, compared with the control group: sun protection product use behaviours, sun avoidance behaviours, and behaviours related to protecting themselves and their children from the sun. There was an even higher increase in these behavioural components for those parents who also received short reminder text messages.

CONCLUSION: The 'I am Protecting my Child from the Sun' program and the receiving of short reminder messages had positive effects on the parents' behaviours related to protecting themselves and their children from the sun.

IMPACT: The 'I am Protecting my Child from the Sun' developed parents' sunscreen use self-efficacy, norms/attitudes about sunscreen use and sunscreen use expectancy behaviour, and reduced their impediments to sunscreen use behaviour. In addition, the program developed parents' sun avoidance self-efficacy, norms/attitudes about sun avoidance and sun avoidance expectancy behaviours, and reduced tanning expectancy behaviour. Receiving SMS messages following the training was effective in parental behaviours for use of sunscreen, sun avoidance, and protecting themselves and their children from the sun. Registration number: Study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04251598.