Ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun is the best natural source of vitamin D but also the major cause of skin cancer. Despite being one of the most preventable cancers, two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70. However, research had shown people continued to rely on temperature or sunny conditions to make decisions about when to protect their skin. The ‘UV Index’ was not well understood or often misinterpreted. Cancer Council Victoria in Australia established the SunSmart programme in the 1980s in response to the high incidence of skin cancer. The SunSmart campaign encourages people to be "sunsmart" and "slip (on a shirt), slop (on sunscreen), slap (on a hat)" to mitigate their UV exposure risk.
The SunSmart website provides the public with tips and information and offers a downloadable smartphone app, called SunSmart. The SunSmart app and widget were first developed in 2010 with the aim of translating the UV Index into an easy, useful tool that would help Australians make informed decisions about sun protection. SunSmart makes it easy for users to maintain safe levels of UV exposure by checking the ‘UV index’ at their location at any time. This helps them reduce their risk of skin cancer and still enjoy the health benefits of sunshine.
How CAMS helps
The SunSmart website, gives daily information on UV levels. The SunSmart smartphone app, available on the site for use in Australia, uses the user’s location to give relevant 7-day weather forecasts, and daily information about UV levels, temperatures and sun protection times.
Cancer Council Victoria worked with the Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology to input UV data into the app. The Bureau sources its UV information from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service and uses this data to generate UV index and sun protection times. Sun protection times are the times of the day when UV is forecast to reach 3 or higher. These are used alongside the forecast UV levels, as research has shown the times are the most helpful for users in making decisions about their sun protection.
Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has shown that melanoma incidence is falling among those aged under 40 years, consistent with the introduction of the SunSmart programme.
"Overall, we’ve had a positive response to the app. It’s one of our most popular resources, with more than 270,000 downloads across Apple and Android devices since 2010. We have ratings of 4.3/5 on the App Store and 3.6/5 on the Android store. As a not-for-profit organisation, this is something we’re really proud of."
Heather Walker, SunSmart Manager at Cancer Council Victoria, Australia.
Users like the simplicity of the app and the clean design. Parents and educators find it particularly useful in guiding their decisions about sun protection for children.