Exploring perceptions of and attitudes towards tanning with school children, parents/carers and educators in Wales - a mixed methods study protocol for the SunChat study

Sep 22, 2026

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A mixed-methods exploratory study protocol, SunChat, examines perceptions and attitudes towards tanning among school children, parents/carers, and primary educators in Wales. It addresses misconceptions that undermine sun safety, noting that most skin cancers are preventable through safer sun exposure and that overexposure in childhood elevates future risk. The protocol uses workshops, an online multiple-choice survey, and an educator focus group to inform an educational toolkit aligned with Wales’ Curriculum for Wales.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Aims

Methods

Discussion

Introduction

Background

PLOS ONE OPEN ACCESS Citation: Tur Porres G, Lanyon K, Abbott R, Lewis H, Marchant E, Peconi J (2024) Exploring perceptions of and attitudes towards tanning with school children, parents/carers and educators in Wales: A mixed methods study protocol for the SunChat study. PLoS ONE 19(6): e0295719 . [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295719](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295719) [Editor:](Editor: Caroline Watts)[ Caroline Watts](Editor: Caroline Watts), [The University of Sydney](The University of Sydney), AUSTRALIA Received: December 4, 2023 Accepted: April 22, 2024 Published: June 5, 2024 Peer Review History: PLOS recognizes the benefits of transparency in the peer review process; therefore, we enable the publication of all of the content of peer review and author responses alongside final, published articles. The editorial history of this article is available here: [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295719](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295719) [Copyright:](Copyright:) © [2024 Tur](2024 Tur) Porres et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: Deidentified research data will be made publicly available when the study is completed and published. STUDY PROTOCOL Exploring perceptions of and attitudes towards tanning with school children, parents/carers and educators in Wales: A mixed methods study protocol for the SunChat study Gisselle Tur Porres1, Kirsty Lanyon2, Rachel Abbott3, Helen Lewis1, Emily Marchant1, Julie Peconi2 * 1 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Education and Childhood Studies, School of Social Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom, 2 Faculty of Medicine, Swansea Trials Unit, Health and Life Science, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom, 3 Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Skin Cancer Prevention Lead for Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom * [j.peconi@swansea.ac.uk](j.peconi@swansea.ac.uk) Abstract Background Skin cancer comprises half of all cancers in England and Wales. Most skin cancers can be prevented with safer sun exposure. As over exposure as a child can greatly increase future skin cancer risk, early and accessible sun safety education and promotion of sun safe behaviours is critical. Scientists agree there is no such thing as a ‘safe tan’, yet the public, including children, often have positive perceptions of tanned skin. To protect against future skin cancer, it is important to understand and address these misconceptions. The Curriculum for Wales with its area for Health and Well-being, and autonomy for schools in designing curriculum content, presents an ideal way to facilitate this exploration. Aims • Gather data regarding perceptions towards tanning to explore the perceived effects ofa tanon health. • Inform the development and testing of an educational toolkit for integration within the Curriculum for Wales to encourage positive health behaviours and attitudes of school children towards tanning and sun exposure. Methods SunChat is a mixed methods exploratory study comprising three work streams: 1. Workshops with school children to understand their perceptions on tanning. Funding: JP and GTP received funding to conduct this study from the Morgan Advanced Studies Institute (MASI) -[https://www.swansea.ac.uk/](https://www.swansea.ac.uk/)[ ](https://www.swansea.ac.uk/)[masi/](masi/. The funder did not playany role in the study)[. The funder did not playany role in the study](masi/. The funder did not playany role in the study)[ ](masi/. The funder did not playany role in the study)design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing int

FAQs

Why does the SunChat study focus on tanning perceptions and attitudes?

Because many people, including children, hold positive beliefs about tanned skin despite scientific agreement that there is no safe tan. Understanding and correcting these misconceptions supports future skin cancer prevention through better sun-safety behaviours.

What are the study’s main aims?

To gather data on perceived effects of tanning on health and to inform the development and testing of an educational toolkit for integration within the Curriculum for Wales to encourage positive attitudes and behaviours.

What research methods does the SunChat mixed methods protocol use?

Three work streams: workshops with school children, an online multiple-choice survey with parents/carers, and an informal focus group with primary school educators.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Violet