Predictors of Summer Sun Safety Practice Intentions Among Rural High School Students

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between theoretically grounded psychosocial motivators and the sun safety practice intentions of rural youth. METHODS: A survey was given to 219 members of FFA (Future Farmers of America) at high schools in the rural Midwest (average age = 16). RESULTS: Perceived self-efficacy, peer norms, response efficacy, and susceptibility predicted protective clothing and sunscreen use intentions. Among boys, perceived norms among same-sex peers; but among girls, norms among both same- and opposite-sex peers, were significant. CONCLUSIONS: Self-efficacy should be an important component of sun safety education for rural youth. Gender-specific peer norms should also be addressed.