Measuring Real Time Decision-Making About Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR) Protection

January 5, 2026 updated by: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Measuring Real Time Decision-Making About UVR Protection

The purpose of this study is to understand how people make decisions about sun protection. This study is important in helping to protect against sun exposure, since it is a main risk factor for melanoma. The investigators would like to understand the decisions people make about sun protection so that they can improve their ability to help individuals who may be at risk for melanoma.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

94

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10065
        • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients whose FDRs may be eligible for this study will be identified by a member of the patient's treatment team, the protocol investigator, or research team at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) will identify patients who are melanoma patients.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • A first-degree biological relative (a child, sibling or parent) as per self report of an MSKCC follow-up surgical patient diagnosed with melanoma as per pathology report or clinician's judgment;
  • English-fluent; the surveys were designed and validated in English and are not currently available in other languages. Translation of questionnaires into other languages would require reestablishing the reliability and validity of these measures. Therefore, participants must be able to communicate in English to complete the surveys.
  • 18 years of age or older;
  • For Phase I only: FDRs who live within a 50 mile radius of MSKCC to make it feasible for Ms. Shuk to be able to arrive at each person's home for the in-home interview without the cost being prohibitive;
  • For Phase I only: Can recall a period when s/he was out in the sun for at least one hour on a sunny day this past summer 2009.
  • For Phase I only: Can recall a separate period when s/he was out in the sun for at least one hour on a sunny day this past summer 2009, but s/he was in a different location from the period referenced above.
  • For Phase II only: FDRs who self-report at least 1 consecutive hour in the morning (dawn to 12:30pm) and 1 consecutive hour in the afternoon (12:30-5pm) of daily (weekend and weekday) outdoor activities on the screening questionnaire

Exclusion Criteria:

  • First-degree relatives of melanoma patients who report never using UVR protection;
  • Patient's who provide consent for Phase I will not be eligible for Phase II.
  • Any first-degree relative of a melanoma patient who already has a first-degree relative who consented to the study;
  • Unable to provide informed consent.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
screening questionnaire
This study will involve two phases. Guided by EDTM, we will first build models of decision-making about UVR protection (sunscreen use, shade-seeking, hat use, use of protective clothing)using in-home ethnographic interviews with 25 melanoma FDRs (Phase I). In Phase II, we will test the validity of each composite model. This will be completed using EMA data collection with 60 different melanoma FDRs from Phase I who will report on their sunscreen use, shade-seeking, use of hat, and use of UVR protective clothing and decision-making regarding these outcomes via interactive voice response (IVR) system and audio narrative diaries (using a digital voice recorder). We will examine the validity of each model and examine the influence of theory-driven affective and cognitive predictors of UVR protection maintenance across time.
Behavioral: screening questionnaire
Phase I involves in-home interviews of 25 participants to understand the factors that affect participants' decision-making about UVR protection (sunscreen use, shade-seeking, hat use, use of protective clothing). In Phase II, we plan to recruit a sample of 60 melanoma first degree relatives (FDRs) and use an electronic narrative diary to record their daily behaviors about UVR protection. They will be asked to carry a interactive voice response (IVR) system for 14 days and they should be in the continental United States.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Participants Interviewed on UVR Protection Behaviors.
Time Frame: 1 year
To generate models explaining decision-making about four UVR protection behaviors (sunscreen use, shade-seeking, hat use, use of protective clothing) in melanoma FDRs. This was an inductive, qualitative study using an open-ended interview to accomplish the Aim. Cohort 1 was used for this Aim.
1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
To Examine Theory-driven Affective and Cognitive Predictors of UVR Protection Maintenance (Sunscreen Use, Shade-seeking, Hat Use, and Use of UVR Protective Clothing)Assessed in Real Time.
Time Frame: 1 year
To examine theory-driven affective and cognitive predictors of UVR protection maintenance (sunscreen use, shade-seeking, hat use, and use of UVR protective clothing) assessed in real time. Phase 1 was not assessed for this Outcome Measure.
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Collaborators

University of British Columbia
San Diego State University
Stony Brook University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jennifer Hay, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

October 27, 2009

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 6, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

September 6, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 29, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 29, 2009

First Posted (Estimated)

October 30, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

January 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 5, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 09-137

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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