Applying health literacy tools to promote UV safety with the Melanoma Research Foundation

July is UV safety awareness month. We are marking it by celebrating our creative partnership with the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF)!  

About our partner 

Before we dive in, let’s shout out The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) — the powerhouse behind melanoma research and awareness. They fund breakthrough science in pursuit of a cure, and make sure patients, caregivers, and providers have the knowledge and skills to prevent, spot, and treat melanoma early.  

A cause for prevention 

90% of cutaneous melanoma (often just called melanoma) cases can be linked to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays – either from natural sources, like the sun, or from artificial sources, like indoor tanning beds – that's why it’s so important to protect your skin from UV rays! 

Spreading the word about UV safety  

During our nearly 7 years of collaboration, HLM has helped create a variety of clinical trial materials and health education materials with MRF, including brochures, infographics, and educational guides. Infused throughout many of these education materials, we have highlighted some key messages about UV rays: 

• High exposure to UV rays can lead to painful sunburns. Every sunburn a person gets raises their risk of developing melanoma. 

• Sun safety is important for everyone, no matter your skin color or type 

• Protecting your skin from the sun doesn’t have to be complicated! Follow these easy steps to avoid UV rays: 

  
  

What is cutaneous melanoma?  Cutaneous melanoma is a type of cancer that usually starts in a person’s skin. Melanoma happens when a cell called a “melanocyte cell” is damaged. Here is how this happens: Melanocytes are the cells in our skin that carry melanin, which is what gives our skin color, or pigment. When these cells are damaged, they can mutate (change) from a melanocyte to a melanoma. This causes them to grow and replicate into new melanoma cells, causing cancer.  

Supporting people with a melanoma diagnosis

We’re proud of our work with the MRF team to develop a print and digital guide for patients who have been diagnosed with stage 0-1 cutaneous melanoma and their caregivers. The guide helps readers understand the causes of melanoma, find treatment and support, learn how to prevent future UV skin damage, and reduce future melanoma risk. We used health literacy best practices such: 

• Easy-to-understand language to explain complex concepts 

• Meaningful visuals to highlight specific UV prevention behaviors  

• Interactive elements, like a self-screening guide to regularly check and track skin changes 

  
  

Take a look: 

Check out the full guide

Partnerships like this are exciting opportunities for HLM to do what we do best — work with our partners to help people understand complex information and make healthy decisions!