SunAWARE is a not-for-profit educational organization. Broadly, it seeks to publicly promulgate critical information on the prevention and detection of skin cancer based upon its exhaustively researched and peer reviewed acronym SunAWARE. The SunAWARE acronym can be used by educators and organizations as
- the basis for a variety of curricula, from pre-school through university levels and beyond;
- an organizing principle for companies wishing to promote safe sun habits for their employees;
- a slogan for large and small events and campaigns; and,
- as a product endorsement for select companies.
SunAWARE also acts as an advocate for specific issues and for groups we believe are underserved by current sun protection education efforts. At present, these include:
- Outdoor workers — individuals and groups who are at most risk for skin cancer. Outdoor workers, including agricultural workers, are often unorganized meaning that information channels available to other, more organized groups, do not exist or are not as accessible. We believe that by becoming SunAWARE, organizations employing outdoor workers can create the model for disseminating critical sun protection information to these underserved communities.
- Tanning — The World Health Organization’s recent finding that tanning beds are carcinogenic to humans has stimulated debate at the local and federal levels regarding appropriate restrictions. We support those efforts. Of particular concern is the fact that the risk of melanoma increases by 75 percent when tanning beds are used before the age of 35.
- African American, Hispanic and other dark skin communities — Too often people with dark skin believe they are not at risk for melanoma. As a result, African Americans are diagnosed with melanoma later than whites and have a five year survival rate of 47 percent compared with 69 percent for whites.
- National campaign — Although there are a number of sun protection educational initiatives, we believe the U.S. needs a national campaign under one slogan to effectively raise awareness of the risk of skin cancer, an epidemic in this country.
Please feel free to contact us about these and other issues.
