April 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 16

Who, What, Where & how Around the Parks

Shelter from the Sun
Shade structure grants reward sun safety education

E

very year, over one million cases of skin cancer
are diagnosed in the United States.
Every hour, one American dies of melanoma, the deadliest form
of skin cancer.
And, while genetic factors play a role,
the medical community agrees that protecting the skin from birth against the
sun's UV rays is the only real weapon
against skin cancer. " We dermatologists
tell our patients, 'The skin is like an elephant,' " says Dr. Elizabeth Martin, a Birmingham, Alabama, dermatologist and
Youth Education Chair for the American
Academy of Dermatology (AAD). " 'It never forgets.' " Martin and her peers at AAD
do more than offer statistics and warnings on the dangerous cumulative effects
of sun exposure. They volunteer their
time-and award tens of thousands of dollars-to equip schools, parks, and childcare facilities with high-quality shade
structures for their outdoor play areas.
The applicant groups demonstrating
the greatest need and the most robust existing programs of sun safety education
receive $8,000 grants to shade their play
structures and outdoor amenities. While
playground shade structures represent
just one of many effective sun prevention
strategies, they offer organizations serving children a way to build sun safety into
their infrastructure, Martin explains.
Martin points out that, while the facts
pertaining to skin cancer prevention are
straightforward, myths about sun safety
practices nonetheless abound. She cites
three in particular:
Myth 1: Installing sun shade structures is an expensive undertaking.
AAD makes its sun shade program grants

14	 Parks & Recreation   A P R I L

in the amount of $8,000 because this is
the approximate cost of sheltering a typical commercial play structure. Whether
the shades are metal or treated fabric,
and whether the playground is brandnew or older, the AAD grant often covers the cost of covering the play area with
UV-blocking shade.
There are certainly far more expensive options for playground shade: Many
higher-end, modular shade structures, for
example, are created to cover individual components of play systems. But a single rectangular canopy over a play area
is an effective, economical way to protect
both children and the adults supervising
their play.
Myth 2: Skin cancer is an old person's disease. " Nothing could be
further from the truth, " Martin insists. Statistics offer a sobering reminder of skin
cancer's toll on the young. Melanoma is
also the most common type of cancer
diagnosed in young adults between the
ages of 25 and 29 years and the second
most common cancer in young people 15
to 29 years old. Even if melanoma were
not so prevalent in young people, the cumulative nature of sun exposure reinforces the priority of protecting people of
every age, Martin points out. Those who
provide outdoor recreation facilities and
programs have a responsibility to teach
and model sun safety as part of their public service-whether for preschoolers in
a tot lot or senior citizens on a golf course,
Martin says.
Myth 3: Patrons of parks and pools
are the primary target for agencies'
sun protection efforts. " When I see
teenagers sitting in lifeguard chairs without umbrellas, I get upset, " Martin says,
" Employers of outdoor workers owe it to

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their staffs to protect them from the sun. "
She reflects on one young woman-a
melanoma patient she had-who recounted a history of working summers as a lifeguard at a public pool. " Like most pool
lifeguards, she had very little sun protection at her job. Her melanoma might have
been prevented. "
For employees and patrons alike, the
approach to minimizing sun exposure
during outdoor recreational time lies in
creating a broad culture of sun safety.
When employees are trained to practice
sun protection habits, they also model
skin cancer prevention for patrons-particularly for the children they supervise
and teach. But, even more significantly,
when managers, planners, and supporting foundations align facility and program design with sun safety priorities,
they can make lasting contributions to
public health.
The AAD grants program accepts new
applications each fall. (See www.aad.org
for details of the Sun Shade Program.)
Applications require demonstrating an
established sun safety education curriculum. If your agency is looking to launch
or enrich such a public education initiative, Martin recommends " Sunwise, " the
free Environmental Protection Agency
curriculum available at http://www.epa.
gov/sunwise/.
Maureen Hannan is Senior Editor of

Parks & Recreation.

Marc Debnam / Digital Vision

By Maureen Hannan
April 2012 - Parks & Recreation

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