Noreen Wetton

Teaching children about skin cancer: the draw-and-write technique as an evaluation tool.

Abstract: Childhood exposure to sunlight is a risk factor for melanoma. To formulate a meaningful program to educate children about the ill effects of the sun, their extant knowledge base must be determined. We have used the “draw‐and‐write” technique to assess childrens perceptions about the sun, suntans, and skin cancer. A total of 693 school children aged 4 to 13 years were asked to draw pictures and label them in response to a series of carefully worded questions. Awareness of the need to apply sunscreen increased from 44% in children aged 4 to 6 years to 95% in children aged 9 to 10 years. Ten percent of children aged 4 to 6 years already perceived a suntan as attractive. While almost all children were aware of the negative immediate effects of sun exposure, namely sunburn, just 30% of American children aged 11 to 13 were aware that sun exposure is a risk for skin cancer. No differences between boys and girls were seen. The “draw‐and‐write” technique allows assessment of the attitudes and perceptions of children regarding the sun and skin cancer. It also provides valuable information on which to base health education and evaluate its cost‐effectiveness.

Safe in the sun

Describes the evolution of a draw and write research project to investigate children’s perceptions of sun exposure and skin cancer in five northern European countries. Analysis of the findings showed that primary school children acknowledged a need to protect themselves, but thought that the main way to do this was to use sun creams. There was little mention of protective clothing or the value of shade. A comparison with children in Australia and New Zealand showed much less approval of sun tans and greater awareness of strategies such as wearing hats and keeping in the shade. Concludes that European countries need to mount coherent sun protection programmes in schools.

Researching nursery children’s awareness of the need for sun protection: towards a new methodology

Describes a small study to evaluate the usefulness of a song tape to promote sun protection messages to children in nursery schools and to find a method of researching young children’s views that could be used with small groups of children which would be simple to administer and analyse, and which would provide reliable data. Finds that the song tape was useful in stimulating work about the skin and the sun in nursery schools, although it was not the only cause of increased awareness of sun protection issues among the children as a result of the study. From the several methods considered, “draw and talk”, in which the children drew pictures in response to a suggestion and then talked to the researcher, proved to be the most successful in eliciting children’s levels of awareness of the need for sun protection. Draw and talk is an illuminative approach which provides quantifiable data and which could be used for development of other curriculum materials or for evaluation of existing programmes for the nursery age group.

A multi‐level approach to community‐focused training in drug education: part 2 – teachers as researchers and partners in curriculum development

Recent advice suggests that single‐level, single‐strand interventions are less effective in preventing or reducing harm from drug misuse than multi‐level multi‐agency approaches. Part 1 described one aspect of a community focused initiative in drug education. The overall aim of the initiative was to support and train key adults within the community to implement locally relevant schemes of work and drug‐related policies. In the previous paper, we described the training offered to parents, school staff and governors in communities in Essex. This second paper reviews both the guidelines for effective teaching and learning in drug education and the importance of effective teacher education. We describe an action research approach to in‐service training for health education coordinators which led to the development of a minimum entitlement curriculum for three different communities within the same county. We offer this combination of research, training and development as a new approach to drug education.

Health education for Hungary

Describes the involvement of British health educators in a Hungarian project to introduce health education into the school curriculum for children aged ten to 14. The project is part of an attempt to close the gap between the health of the Hungarian population and that of other countries in western Europe. It is being funded by a grant from the World Bank to develop health services in Hungary. Explains how the British‐Hungarian collaborators are following the model pioneered in the Health for Life books and adapting this to the Hungarian culture and lifestyle. Compares the similarities and differences between aspects of health education in the UK and in Hungary.

Sensitive issues and children′s literature

Summarizes the differences between what adults perceive as sensitive issues affecting children′s well‐being and what children perceive as sensitive issues. Describes how children′s literature can be used to help children develop language to describe their feelings. Explains how different stories can make it possible to explore characters′ feelings and our own feelings, and how they can be used as starting‐points for talking to children about sensitive situations, feelings and relationships.

A multi‐level approach to community‐focused training in drug education: part I working with parents, governors and school staff

Recent advice suggests that single‐level, single‐strand interventions are less effective in preventing or reducing harm from drug misuse than multi‐level multi‐agency approaches. This paper describes one aspect of a community‐focused initiative in drug education. The overall aim of the initiative was to support and train key adults within the community to implement locally relevant schemes of work and drug‐related policies. In this paper we describe the training offered to parents, school staff and governors in communities in Essex. A second paper will describe the intensive in‐service training for health education co‐ordinators and the action research carried out by teachers which led to the development of a minimum entitlement curriculum for three different communities within the same county. We offer this combination of research, training and development as a new approach to drug prevention in local communities.