As Labor Day approaches and summer winds down, the joy of spending time outdoors becomes irresistible for many, especially youth. Whether it’s enjoying a day at the park, hiking through the forest, or simply playing in the yard, the rays of the sun shine down. However, amidst the fun and adventure, it’s crucial to remember the importance of protecting our youth from the dangers of skin cancer.
Sun Protection Outreach Teaching by Students (SPOTS) is an organization that teaches middle and high school students about early detection and prevention measures for skin cancer. Their main goal is to raise awareness around, and decrease the rising rate of, skin cancer. The Rochester chapter of this group, run by medical students at the University of Rochester, performs outreach via traditional classroom presentations, as well as tabling at community events. The Rochester SPOTS team reports that 1 in 5 Americans develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Overexposure during childhood and adolescence significantly increases that chance, with just one blistering sunburn between ages 15-20 almost doubling your chance of getting melanoma. Some of the strategies SPOTS recommends to prevent skin cancer include: avoiding the sun and tanning beds, wearing broad spectrum SPF 30+, and covering your skin with clothing, hats, and sunglasses. Promoting sun safety doesn’t have to be boring! Encourage children to choose their own sunscreen with fun colors or scents, make applying sunscreen a game or challenge, or involve them in picking out cool hats or fun sunglasses to wear. It is important to remember that UV rays also damage the skin of people of color, causing sunburns, pigment disorders, and skin cancer.
The incidence of melanoma is relatively high in the Rochester region, with Monroe County seeing about 27 new cases per 100,000 in the population each year. Visit the RocHealthData map room to learn more about the incidence of melanoma and other cancers in our area. If you or your community organization, group, or school is interested in having the Rochester SPOTS team present to your group, please reach out to minhaj_rahman@urmc.Rochester.edu. Let’s make sun protection a priority and empower our children to enjoy the sunshine safely!
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