About SunAWARE

SunAWARE

SunAWARE

SunAWARE: Easy-to-Remember & Easy to Use

SunAWARE is based on the acronym created in the book Sun Protection For Life: Your Guide to a Lifetime of Healthy and Beautiful Skin, by Mary Mills Barrow and John F.Barrow (New Harbinger Publications, 2005).  The book won the Gold Triangle Award from the AAD in 2005 for excellence in public education of dermatologic issues.

The SunAWARE acronym was created after an exhaustive review of educational material produced by the major organizations and foundations specializing in skin cancer prevention.  And, it was edited by Craig Sinclair who originated the very successful “Skip Slop Slap” sun protection campaign in Australia. It should also be noted that SunAWARE is endorsed by several leading not-for-profit organizations in the skin cancer community including the Children’s Melanoma Foundation and the Melanoma International Foundation.

The acronym was created to meet the twin goals of

  • developing a comprehensive framework for organizing key points about the prevention and detection of skin cancer
  • and, creating a useful, proactive and easy-to-remember slogan that can be used by any organization and individual.

Here are some ways that SunAWARE can be used.

  • In educational curricula: SunAWARE is simple enough that pre-school children can learn the acronym. More complex issues, such as the balance between vitamin D sufficiency and the need to seek shade, can be incorporated into a SunAWARE curriculum for high school and college students.
  • By not-for-profit and for-profit organizations and companies: A SunAWARE organization educates its employees about the critical need for sun protection. A SunAWARE organization also enjoys the good will associated with organizations that take proactive steps to protect their employees.
  • By public health agencies: Public health agencies have an interest in educating the public about the dangers of unprotected exposure to the sun. SunAWARE can be productively incorporated into handouts and other materials distributed by these groups.
  • By governments at every level: Federal, state and local governments can work to educate the public about the prevention and detection of skin cancer by supporting SunAWARE activities in a variety of ways.

We are currently working with a number of organizations to integrate SunAWARE into their daily activities. In addition, we are working with companies who want to find ways to remind their customers to be SunAWARE.

If you are interested in becoming a SunAWARE organization, please contact us at sunaware1@gmail.com. We are happy to help.