Skin cancer is the only form of cancer that is increasing in the rate of frequency in this country. There has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of skin cancer; over 1 million new cases are diagnosed annually. Approximately one person dies from skin cancer per hour in this country.

Concurrently, many people do not follow sun protective behaviors. In fact, many people seek the tanned look, and the use of tanning salons has tripled in the last decade. This is a serious public health concern.

Nurses are in an excellent position to teach the public about skin cancer prevention and perform screenings for cancer. If nurses are knowledgeable about skin cancer, they can assist in reducing the incidence of skin cancer in this country. Therefore, it is important to determine the optimal method for teaching nursing students about skin cancer. Although nurses are predominately women, and women are more knowledgeable about skin cancer than men, they frequent tanning salons more often than men. They desire the tanned look, perceiving it to be more attractive.

Studies have shown that using ultraviolet (UV) filtered photography is an effective methodology when teaching about skin cancer, as it makes visible and personalizes sun damage that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The UV-filtered photograph is a projection of what a subject's skin will look like in 20 years. Sun damage to the skin, also known as photoaging, is wrinkling, brown spots, white spots, actinic keratosis, and skin cancer. The premise behind studies using UV-filtered photography is that those who seek the tanned look do so for attractiveness, but if they are shown the detrimental effects the sun has on their attractiveness, such as wrinkles and brown spots, they may consider stopping the tanning behavior.

This quasi-experimental study examined the teaching methodologies used in three health assessment classes, each of which had 30 registered students. The teaching methodologies used were either lecture only or lecture and UV photography in combination. This study used a pretest and posttest design. A total of 86 students received a pretest to assess their skin cancer knowledge, perceptions of acquiring skin cancer, sun protective behaviors, gender, race, and the role of the nurse in skin cancer prevention. The student nurses were divided into one control group and two treatment groups for instruction. The control group received the pretest and posttest only. The lecture group received a lecture on skin cancer, and the intervention group received a lecture on skin cancer and the UV-filtered photography treatment. All of the students received a posttest to determine the best teaching method for student nurses, who, in turn, can screen and educate the public about skin cancers. By the completion of the semester, all three classes benefited from the same instruction.

The results of this study demonstrated that the intervention had a significant and positive impact on the students, when compared to the lecture-only and control groups, and therefore UV-filtered photography is an important educational adjunct when instructing student nurses about skin cancer. The impact was largely on the variables of perception and knowledge, but there remains a resistance to a change in sun protective behavior. This research study increased the knowledge and perception of the student nurses regarding skin cancer so that they, in turn, can better educate the public and increase awareness of the dangers of tanning.