iTS-CORE
Sun Safety Educational Interventions
Melanoma prevention needs to start early!
- Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and prevention is critical.
- Just one blistering sunburn in childhood doubles the chance of melanoma.
- Photodamage can occur even when there is no visible sunburn.
- The time to intervene with skin cancer prevention education is in early childhood and adolescence.
We are developing innovative educational games to improve outcomes.
- We have the perfect setting at Stanford with experts in child skin health and community-based educational programs, Wipe Out Melanoma-California, and novel technologies to advance health equity.
- We will use Augmented Reality (AR) and/or Virtual Reality (VR) to teach critical skin cancer prevention lessons.
- AR/VR can be used to change behavior by visualizing the future self.
Sun protection education in childhood and adolescence can save lives.
- We aim to reduce suffering from skin cancer through an AR/VR educational intervention in middle and high school called SUN-ARMOR (Augmented Reality for Melanoma Prevention, Outreach and Research). In this game, students will:
- Create an avatar with personalized features.
- Paint on sunscreen.
- Choose fun hats and sunglasses.
- Seek shade.
- Visualize future face with and without sun protection.
- See the effects of photodamage with wrinkles, sunspots, and skin growths.
1. Practicing sun protective behaviors on their own avatars
Students create avatars, paint sunscreen on their face, add sunglasses, and hats
2. Visualizing benefits of sun protection
20-year Time Lapse: See the benefits of sun protection vs. photodamage on their own avatar
3. Envisioning their Future Self in health care
See their Future Self as a doctor explaining sun protection to a patientÂ