Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i Receives the "Excellence in Education Award"

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Posted: Mar 13, 2001

Honolulu, HI. - The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), an organization which represents virtually all practicing dermatologists in the United States and Canada, will present the Pool Cool Project of the University of Hawai'i Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i (CRCH) its prestigious 2000 Award for Excellence in Education for a Local, State, Regional & National Professional Society/Organization, in the category of an innovative, coordinated program directed toward public education. The award will be given at the AAD Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 7, 2001. Dr. Norman Goldstein, a clinical professor at the John A. Burns School of Medicine and member of the American Academy of Dermatology, nominated the Pool Cool study for consideration by the Academy.

The project is especially designed to promote skin cancer prevention at swimming pools. Its main objective is to increase awareness, motivation, and sun protection practices among children ages 5-10 who take swimming lessons, their parents, aquatics staff, and other pool users. The educational component of Pool Cool includes a series of eight sun safety lessons, taught at the start of each swimming lesson. The pool's aquatic staff use a laminated big book to deliver the lesson content and to make the lessons interactive. Children who are compliant with the sun safe messages during their swim time receive small incentive awards to reinforce the sun safe messages. Providing sunscreen, shade, and signage; and promoting sun safe environments are other components of the project.

The Pool Cool study is sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) sun safety program. The study originated in Hawai'i at the CRCH through the efforts of Dr. Karen Glanz. Dr. Goldstein states, "I see Pool Cool as a natural continuation of the work in the SunSmart Hawai'i project (a project developed by the Hawai'i State Department of Health in partnership with the Hawai'i Skin Cancer Coalition). I am pleased to see this project originated from Hawai'i and is spreading nationwide." Pool Cool is meant to be both a fun and an effective way to reduce skin cancer risks. The project was implemented at 15 pool sites in both Hawai'i and Boston in 1999, and was pilot tested at 186 pools throughout the U.S. and Canada last year. A partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association is central to nationwide dissemination of the Pool Cool project.

Sun exposure during childhood is one of the key predictors of developing skin cancer later in life. For more information about Pool Cool, call the project coordinator at 586-3076. For information about skin cancers and to receive free materials on reducing cancer risks, call the University of Hawai'i's Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i's Cancer Information Service at

1-800-4-CANCER.