Effect of the "I am protecting my child from the sun" program based on social cognitive theory, on parent behaviors

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of the "I am Protecting My Child from the Sun" program, based on social cognitive theory, on parents' sun-protection product use and sun avoidance behaviors. Method: Organized as a randomized controlled experimental study conducted on three groups with a pre- and post-test follow-up design, the study was carried out in Manavgat between April 2018 and October 2018 and included the participation of 185 parents, of which 63 were in the education group, 62 were in the education+SMS group, and 60 were in the control group. The parents in the intervention group were administered the "I am Protecting My Child from the Sun" program for a period of six weeks, while the education+SMS group, in addition to the program, also received a total of 25 short text messages twice a week. Data were collected using the Parent Information Form, Skin Cancer Risk Perception Form, Skin Cancer and Sun Knowledge Scale, Parental Self-Efficacy Scale, Parental Sun Protection Scales, and Parent Behaviors Regarding Protecting Themselves and Their Children from The Sun Question Form. Statistical analysis of the data was conducted using McNemar's Test, Marginal Homogeneity Test, Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, One-way Analysis of Variance, Variance Analysis in Repeated Measures, and eta-squared value. Results: The interventions made as part of the "I am Protecting My Child from the Sun" program increased the following behavioral components of the parents in the education group and the education+SMS group, as compared to the control group: sun-protection product use behaviors, sun avoidance behaviors, and behaviors related to protecting themselves and their children from the sun (p<0.05). There was an even higher increase in these behavioral components for those parents who, in addition to being administered the program, also received short reminder text messages (p<0.05). Only the increase in expectations regarding sun-protection product use was not significant (p>0.05). Conclusion: The "I am Protecting My Child from the Sun" program, based on Social Cognitive Theory, and the sending of short reminder messages had positive effects on the parents' behaviors related to protecting themselves and their children from the sun.