Project 458794

Background: Cutaneous melanoma (CM) causes more deaths than any other skin cancer. In Canada, CM is the 8th most commonly diagnosed cancer and the number of CM cases is increasing. There are many well-known and modifiable risk factors for developing CM, such as ultraviolet radiation exposure. Nonetheless, there are less CM public health awareness campaigns in Canada compared to other countries, such as Australia. This translated into a decreased awareness of the severity of CM, especially amongst young adults. Objectives: To understand how various risk factors affect CM incidence in different Canadian populations and communities. Our specific goals are: 1) Explore adolescents/young adults' perspectives on sun exposure; 2) Explore existing SunSmart programs in Australia and their applicability in Canada through focus groups with the goal of developing and studying gender-, community- and geographic region-specific recommendations to help change sun exposure practices. Methods: Our CM prevention program is supported by three interrelated pillars: behaviour change, patient and public involvement (PPI), and tailored sustainable intervention strategies. 1) A validated patient questionnaire will be distributed online and in-person to assess individual knowledge of CM risks and sun protective behaviours and beliefs, and data will be compared between groups of interest. 2) We will conduct semi-structured focus groups where participants will be prompted to discuss what drives their sun protective behaviours and potential tailored messages as part of a campaign promoting behaviour changes. Impact: Reducing incidence rates of CM through research, awareness and advocacy is our ultimate goal. This study will allow us to gain valuable and actionable insights into specific factors which will improve targeted efforts and help develop key messages that resonate with impacted populations, thereby increasing their efficacy and potentially influence changes in policies.