Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry.pidemiology, University of Munich, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
Health Educ Res. 2012 Apr;27(2):200-13. doi: 10.1093/her/cyr050. Epub 2011 Jul 5.
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation is an important risk factor for skin cancer. The Global Solar Ultraviolet Index (UVI) was developed as a tool to visualize the amount of harmful radiation and to encourage people to use sun protection. We conducted a systematic review of the effectiveness of the UVI. We employed a comprehensive search strategy to explore the impact of the UVI on five outcome categories. Twenty-seven of a total of 260 studies met our inclusion criteria; data extraction and quality appraisal were undertaken for 25 studies, comprising 3 randomized controlled trials, 2 non-randomized intervention studies and 20 cross-sectional studies. Nearly half of these studies were from Australia and New Zealand. We found low to intermediate levels of UVI awareness and low levels of UVI understanding. Studies rated moderate or strong suggest that the UVI does not influence knowledge, attitudes, sun protection behavior or sun exposure. Overall, the findings imply that the UVI, as currently implemented, has not been successful at improving sun protection practices and reducing sun exposure among the population at large. Drawing on experience with theory-based sun protection programs, we advocate for more realistic expectations of what the UVI can and cannot achieve.
紫外线辐射暴露是皮肤癌的一个重要危险因素。全球太阳紫外线指数 (UVI) 的开发是作为一种可视化有害辐射量的工具，并鼓励人们使用防晒措施。我们对 UVI 的有效性进行了系统评价。我们采用了全面的搜索策略来探讨 UVI 对五个结果类别的影响。在总共 260 项研究中，有 27 项符合我们的纳入标准；对 25 项研究进行了数据提取和质量评估，其中包括 3 项随机对照试验、2 项非随机干预研究和 20 项横断面研究。这些研究中有近一半来自澳大利亚和新西兰。我们发现，对 UVI 的认识程度处于低到中等水平，对 UVI 的理解程度较低。评价为中度或强度的研究表明，UVI 不会影响知识、态度、防晒行为或阳光暴露。总的来说，这些发现表明，目前实施的 UVI 并没有成功地改善普通人群的防晒措施和减少阳光暴露。借鉴基于理论的防晒计划的经验，我们主张对 UVI 的能力和局限性有更现实的期望。
