Written Question · S3W-16705 · Session 3
What impact assessment has been carried out on the effectiveness of finance allocated for increased education on and awareness of skin canc…
The question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact assessment has been carried out on the effectiveness of finance allocated for increased education on and awareness of skin cancer and the use of sundbeds and whether there are plans to increase such funding.
The answer
The Scottish Government contributed 10% (£11,000 in 2008-09) to the costs of SunSmart which is commissioned by Health Departments across the UK and run by Cancer Research. SunSmart is a generic skin cancer prevention campaign which aims to raise awareness around the causes of skin cancer and includes information on the health risks associated with sunbed use.
Campaign activities are evaluated by Cancer Research UK on an on-going basis and a full evaluation report of all activities sent to UK health departments. Figures from a yearly survey commissioned by Cancer Research UK from the Office for National Statistics show an increase in knowledge that using sunbeds increases the risk of skin cancer from 71% in 2003 to 81% in 2005. Further studies have been carried out in 2007 and 2008 but we are awaiting verification of the results.
Following the passage of the Public Health etc (Scotland) act 2008 the Scottish Government will refocus its activity to carry out an awareness raising campaign to accompany the act''s provisions on sunbeds when they come into effect in 2009. The sunbed provisions in the Act will ban the use, sale and hire of sunbeds to under 18s, ban unsupervised use and introduce a requirement for sunbed operators to give their clients detailed information on the health risks associated with sunbed use. The campaign will be targeted at sunbed users and all known sunbed operators in Scotland. It is envisaged that the campaign will include the distribution of leaflets and posters and that information and materials will be available to download free of charge from the Scottish Government website. The estimated cost of the campaign is in the region of £50,000.
The final form of the campaign has not been decided. Therefore no impact assessment has been designed at this stage although the campaign will be evaluated and impact assessed following its delivery.
Campaign activities are evaluated by Cancer Research UK on an on-going basis and a full evaluation report of all activities sent to UK health departments. Figures from a yearly survey commissioned by Cancer Research UK from the Office for National Statistics show an increase in knowledge that using sunbeds increases the risk of skin cancer from 71% in 2003 to 81% in 2005. Further studies have been carried out in 2007 and 2008 but we are awaiting verification of the results.
Following the passage of the Public Health etc (Scotland) act 2008 the Scottish Government will refocus its activity to carry out an awareness raising campaign to accompany the act''s provisions on sunbeds when they come into effect in 2009. The sunbed provisions in the Act will ban the use, sale and hire of sunbeds to under 18s, ban unsupervised use and introduce a requirement for sunbed operators to give their clients detailed information on the health risks associated with sunbed use. The campaign will be targeted at sunbed users and all known sunbed operators in Scotland. It is envisaged that the campaign will include the distribution of leaflets and posters and that information and materials will be available to download free of charge from the Scottish Government website. The estimated cost of the campaign is in the region of £50,000.
The final form of the campaign has not been decided. Therefore no impact assessment has been designed at this stage although the campaign will be evaluated and impact assessed following its delivery.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S3W-16705 by reference.