Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/91581
Author(s): Maria João Fonseca
Patrício Costa
Leonor Lencastre
Fernando Tavares
Title: A hands-on activity to raise awareness about healthy sun exposure
Issue Date: 2015
Abstract: Excessive exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes sunburn and has been consistently associated with increased susceptibility to melanoma and skin ageing. Acknowledging the need to promote healthy sun exposure habits, numerous educational initiatives have been developed to raise public awareness towards this issue. However, studies reveal that misinformed behaviours persist, particularly amongst young people, emphasising the need to broaden the range of interventions specifically targeting this population segment. The goal of this study was to develop and assess a hands-on activity addressing the lethal effect of sunlight. Using a mixed-method approach based on a case-control pre-/post-test design, the effectiveness of this activity was evaluated following its implementation in four high schools in Portugal. Data collected through questionnaires, classroom observations, analysis of activity reports and interviews with 140 12th-grade science students aged 17.10 +/- 0.67 years old attending biology classes reveal that the activity had a positive impact on student knowledge about the effects of solar UV radiation and the importance of safe sunlight exposure. The implications of these findings for health and biology education-namely, concerning the instructional design of practical activities in this scope-are discussed.
Subject: Ciências biológicas
Biological sciences
Scientific areas: Ciências exactas e naturais::Ciências biológicas
Natural sciences::Biological sciences
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/91581
Document Type: Artigo em Revista Científica Internacional
Rights: restrictedAccess
Appears in Collections:FCUP - Artigo em Revista Científica Internacional
FPCEUP - Artigo em Revista Científica Internacional

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