SunSmart is a not-for-profit health promotion program in
Australia that promotes a balance between the
benefits and harms of sunlight exposure, most notably including
vitamin D
Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, and many other biological effects. In humans, the most important compounds in this group are vitamin D3 ...
and
skin cancer
Skin cancers are cancers that arise from the skin. They are due to the development of abnormal cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. There are three main types of skin cancers: basal-cell skin cancer (BC ...
.
Cancer Council Victoria and the
Victorian Health Promotion Foundation
The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation is a statutory authority in the Australian state of Victoria, originally funded by hypothecated taxation raised by the ''Victorian Tobacco Act 1987''. It was the first health promotion body in the w ...
(VicHealth) first funded SunSmart in 1988 in Victoria. Programs now operate in each state and territory of Australia by respective Cancer Councils, all using common principles but tailored to jurisdictional priorities.
Since the iconic
Slip! Slop! Slap! message of the 1980s, the SunSmart program has expanded the sun protection message to include Seek shade and Slide on sunglasses.
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. At least two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70 and more than 1,800 Australians die from skin cancer each year.
SunSmart's investment in prevention brings considerable human and economic benefits across Australia. The program has generated a $2.30 net saving for every dollar spent, and was rated the second most cost-effective and health-saving intervention by the Victorian Department of Treasury.
The 2010 Assessing Cost-Effectiveness of Prevention report identified an intensive SunSmart campaign as one of a handful of cost-effective interventions for the future that would have a large impact on Australia's health.
[Vos T, Carter R, Barendregt J, Mihalopoulos C, Veerman L, Magnus A, Cobiac L, Bertram M, Wallace AL, ACE-Prevention Team. Assessing cost-effectiveness in prevention (ACE-Prevention): Final report. University of Queensland & Deakin University: Brisbane & Melbourne 2010.]
See also
*
Skin cancer in Australia
Skin cancer in Australia kills over 2,000 each year, with more than 750,000 diagnosed and treated. Tanning became embedded in Australian culture and proved to be a controversial issue because of its popularity among teens and solarium users, d ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official website
Sun tanning
Health campaigns
Health charities in Australia
Medical and health organisations based in Victoria (Australia)