Observations Of Hat Wearing Manual 18april17
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Observations!of!hat!wearing!!
behaviour!in!Queensland!primary!schools:!!
Training!manual!for!volunteer!observers!
!
!
!
Authors:!
Dr!Simone!Harrison!
Nicole!Bates!
Dr!Jane!Nikles!
Denise!Turner
!!
!
!!!
!
3rd!Edition!Revised!April!2017!
!
!
!
!
JCU!Skin!Cancer!Research!Unit,!!
College!of!Public!Health,!Medical!&!Vet!Sciences,!
Division!of!Tropical!Health!and!Medicine!(DTHM)!
!James!Cook!University!
!
!
!
Background:!Queensland!has!extremely!high!levels!of!ambient!ultraviolet!radiation!(UVR)!and!
the!highest!rates!of!cutaneous!melanoma!(CM)!and!non-melanocytic!skin!cancer!in!the!world.!
Queensland!children!also!develop!pigmented!moles!(the!most!important!risk!marker!for!CM)!
earlier!in!life!and!in!higher!numbers!than!children!raised!in!temperate!climates,!putting!them!at!
higher!lifetime!risk!of!CM.!Strategies!to!reduce!sun-exposure!(shade/hats/clothing/sunscreen)!
can!reduce!mole!development!and!subsequent!CM!risk,!particularly!if!they!are!introduced!during!
the!first!10!years!of!life.!The!SunSmart!Schools!Program!which!was!introduced!by!the!Cancer!
Council! in! 1998! led! to! significant! improvements! in! sun-protective! behaviour! in! schools.!
However,!photographs!published!by!The!Sunday!Mail!in!2009!showed!school!students!from!as!
far!North!as!Cairns,!and!as!far!south!as!Brisbane!spending!time!outdoors!during!peak!UVR!times!
at!school!without!a!hat!or!access!to!shade.!This!led!to!concern!that!sun-protection!practices!in!
Queensland!schools!could!be!on!the!decline,!and!further!research!by!our!group!has!confirmed!
this!hypothesis.!The!program!we!hope!you!will!assist!us!with!is!designed!to!bolster!hat-wearing!
rates!in!schools!across!Queensland!and!beyond.!
!
Aim:!We!hope!to! observe! and!record! the!hat!wearing!practices!of!school!students!and!their!
adult!role-models!in!an!unobtrusive!way!in!as!many!primary!schools!in!the!Queensland!region!
as! possible.!This! includes! public! (state! government)! primary! schools! and! private! (non-
government)!primary!schools!(Prep!to!Grade!6),!and!combined!schools!(Prep!to!Grade!12).!When!
sufficient!data!has!been!collected!across!seasons!and!time!of!day,!we!will!collate!the!data!and!
feed!the!information!back!to!school!management!so!that!they!can!see!how!they!are!performing!
relative!to!their!peer!schools!(their!data!will!be!ranked!against!de-identified!results!from!other!
schools!as!shown!in!the!figure!below).!It!is!important!that!any!data!you!collect!is!not!shared!with!
anyone! but! the! research! team! and! treated! as! CONFIDENTIAL.
!
Organising!the!data!collection!trip:!Only!set!out!to!conduct!observations!on!a!day!that!doesn’t!
look! like! it! will! rain! during! school! hours.! All! observations! must! be! conducted! when! it! is! not!
raining!to!be!meaningful.!!Work!out!which!schools!are!in!a!geographic!area!close!to!where!you!
live!or!work!or!some!area!that!you!can!easily!access.!Find!out!the!school!start!time,!dismissal!
and!meal/play!break!times.!Some!of!this!information!is!included!in!the!accompanying!tables,!
although! the! information!can! usually! be! found! by! looking! at!school! websites! or! the! school!
prospectus!online.! When! conducting! observations! in! your! local! area,! try! to! plan! to! conduct!
observations!that! include! a! mix! of! before,! during! and! dismissal! times! each! season,! if! at! all!
possible.!These!observations!need!not!be!carried!out!on!the!same!day.!If!your!commitments!
prevent!this,!we!welcome!any!observations!you!can!conduct!that!fit!within!your!schedule.!When!
observing!children!arriving!at!school,!it!is!important!to!arrive!well!before!(at!least!10!minutes!
before)!the!school!bell!is!scheduled!to!ring.!This!provides!an!opportunity!to!observe!whether!
the!children!are!wearing!a!hat!or!not!as!they!enter!the!school!yard.!It!is!generally!sufficient!to!
set!aside!around!5-10!minutes!to!conduct!observations!at!each!school,!plus!the!driving!time!that!
it!takes!to!travel!between!them!if!you!plan!to!visit!several!schools!in!succession.!
!
If!there!are!two!observers,!the!driver!needs!to!know!the!order!of!schools!to!visit!(e.g.!which!
starts! their! lunch! break! soonest)! to! maximise! the! efficiency! of! the! trip.! ! Once! you! have! the!
information!about!start,!finish!and!break!times,!look!at!your!street!directory!or!Google!Maps!to!
plan!the!order!in!which!you!will!visit!the!schools!and!ensure!that!the!driving!time!between!them!
will!enable!you!to!arrive!before!the!break!ends.!When!you!have!completed!planning!your!trip,!
touch!base!with!any!fellow!observers!that!may!be!accompanying!you!and!organise!a!place!to!
meet.!!
Things!to!bring:!In!order!to!be!eligible!to!become!a!volunteer!for!this!program,!you!will!require!
a!current!Blue!Card!for!suitability!to!work!with!children.!These!are!issued!by!the!Queensland!
Government!Department!of!Justice!and!the!Attorney-General!and!volunteer!applications!for!a!
Blue!Card!are!free.!Details!on!obtaining!or!renewing!a!Blue!card!can!be!found!on!our!website.!
Please! ensure! that! you! keep! your! Blue! Card! on! you! while! conducting! observations! for! the!
program.!
!
It!is!important!that!you!reinforce!the!message!of!sun-safety!we!are!trying!to!promote,!so!make!
sure!you!consider!your!own!sun-safety!while!you!are!out!conducting!observations.!Please!wear!
sun-safe!clothing!and!a!SunSmart!hat!while!conducting!these!observations!if!you!hop!outside!of!
your!car.!You!will!also!need!your!device!with!the!Hat-wearing!app!loaded!(available!from!our!
website!after!you!have!completed!providing!your!contact!and!Blue!Card!details!and!our!brief!
training!program).!Also!bring!a!map,!clip!board,!pen!and!spare!paper!in!case!your!device!battery!
goes!flat!or!malfunctions.!
Observation!method:!Observations!should!be!made!preferably!from!a!parked!car!in!a!public!car!
park!or!from!a!public!location!on!foot,!such!as!a!nature!strip.!It!is!better!to!try!and!stay!in!the!car!
if!viewing!is!easy,!but!if!necessary!you!can!get!out!of!the!car!and!try!to!remain!inconspicuous.!
Please!don’t!go!onto!school!property!(within!the!school!gates)!or!draw!attention!to!yourself.!
When!people!are!aware!that!observations!of!sun-safety!are!being!made!it!is!impossible!to!collect!
a!true!picture!of!their!“normal”!protective!behaviours.!
!
If!there!are!two!observers,!observations!can!be!made!from!a!slow!moving!car!by!the!passenger.!
This!enables!one!person!to!collect!data!and!another!to!concentrate!on!driving!safely.!The!driver!
must!always!observe!road!rules!and!note!school!zones!and!the!required!speed!limits.!Working!
in!pairs!is!often!quicker!and!more!efficient!that!conducting!solo!observations,!but!individuals!get!
quite!good!at!mastering!observation!techniques!when!they!work!alone!from!a!suitable!vantage!
point,!particularly!once!they!have!had!some!practice.!
Please! try! to! make! unobtrusive! observations.! Please! do! not! converse! with! school! students,!
caregivers!or!staff!present!about!the!purpose!of!the!observations!nor!speak!to!any!individual!
about!the!rationale!of!the!observations!unless!absolutely!necessary,!as!this!will!only!alter!the!
behaviours!that!we!are!trying!to!observe.!If!challenged,!please!explain!that!you!are!assisting!with!
skin!cancer!prevention!research!being!carried!out!by!Dr!Simone!Harrison!at!the!JCU!Skin!Cancer!
Research!Unit!and!produce!your!Blue!Card.!If!this!doesn’t!satisfy!the!curiosity!of!the!enquirer,!
refer!them!to!Simone!Harrison!by!providing!her!contact!details!(mobile!0423!489!083!or!email!
simone.harrison@jcu.edu.au).!!
Record!hat!wearing!observations!during!specified!school!break!times,!such!as!morning!tea!and!
lunch! times;! before! school! starts! and! immediately! after! dismissal! as! well! as! during! outdoor!
lessons!such!as!physical!education!classes;!and/or!excursions.!!Include!every!individual!observed!
to!be!on!school!grounds!within!your!field!of!view!during!the!observation!period.!School!staff!and!
caregivers!present!are!categorised!as!‘adults’!as!it!is!not!always!possible!to!distinguish!between!
the!two.!Children!are!classified!as!‘students’!if!they!wear!the!school!uniform!of!the!school!being!
observed.!!
School&hours&
Please!see!the!tables!attached!for!school!start!and!finish!hours!as!well!as!lunch!breaks.!If!you!
notice! that! any! times! have! changed,! please! advise! the! authors.! Some! schools! have! started!
letting!students!play!in!the!first!part!of!the!specified!break!and!then!return!inside!to!eat!their!
food!afterwards,!instead!of!the!other!way!around.!Principals!have!reported!that!this!helps!the!
students!cool!down!and!have!an!opportunity!for!their!heart!rates!to!return!to!normal!in!order!
to!maximise!learning.!
Before!and!After!School!Hours!
When!conducting!observations!before!and!after!school,!it!is!easiest!to!position!your!vehicle!
before!the!bell!so!that!you!are!in!position!when!the!students!start!to!leave!the!school!exits!
(often!near!the!closest!paedestrian!crossing!to!the!school).!
Observations!can!be!made!during!the!half!hour!prior!to!school!commencement!and!a!half!an!
hour!after!dismissal!times.!Include!every!individual!seen!to!enter!and/or!leave!school!grounds!
during!the!observation!period!that!you!are!able!to!count!with!certainty.!Try!to!do!your!best!
not! to! count! the! same! person! twice.! Classify! school! staff! and! caregivers! accompanying!
students!onto!school!grounds!or!leaving!school!grounds!with!a!student!as!‘adults’.!Also!note!
hats! on! adults! (includes! teachers,! groundsmen,! etc)! and! record! hat! wearing! practices! of!
accompanying!siblings!in!the!space!provided!in!the!recording!panel!of!the!app.!
During!School!Hours!
When!conducting!hat!wearing!observations!during!school!hours,!find!a!spot!(preferably!park)!
where!you!can!observe!the!school!yard,!such!as!a!street!near!the!oval!or!play!area!if!possible.!
Choose!somewhere!where!you!are!able!to!view!the!children!at!play!in!the!school!grounds!
during!their!break!times!while!remaining!inconspicuous.!Do!not!stay!too!long!so!as!to!draw!
attention!to!yourself.!!
You!can!either!count!students!as!they!flow!out!into!the!playground!if!you!are!in!position!at!
the!beginning!of!the!break,!or!alternatively,!you!can!begin!counting!when!they!are!all!out!in!
the!yard.!If!you!are!waiting!for!them!to!come!out,!wait!till!the!flow!of!people!decreases!before!
stopping!counting.!If!the!children!are!already!out!of!school,!do!a!snapshot!observation!over!
about!5!minutes!if!possible.!Observations!are!easiest!if!all!the!children!are!in!one!space.!It!is!
often!worth!re-positioning!your!vehicle!to!another!side!of!the!school!after!several!minutes!if!
there!are!multiple!play!areas!that!can!be!viewed!from!outside!the!premises.!Such!is!often!the!
case!at!larger!schools.!
Recording&observations&
One!method!is!to!scan!your!finger!along!a!line,!gradually!sweeping!it!along!a!line!of!sight.!!You!
can!count!the!total!number!of!children!on!one!hand!and!the!ones!without!a!hat!on!the!other!
hand,!using!your!fingers.!The!emphasis!should!be!on!counting!hat!wearing!by!children!who!are!
not!under!solid!shade!structures.!For!this!reason!we!suggest!counting!hat-wearing!proportions!
for!children!after!they!have!finished!eating!their!lunch,!when!they!are!free!to!leave!the!covered!
area!and!can!play!outdoors.!!
Count!each!individual!(all!visible!children/adults/siblings)!and!put!them!into!the!student!or!adult!
or!sibling!category.!!If!possible,!allocate!each!individual!into!the!‘Sunsafe!hat’,!‘other’!or!‘no!hat’!
group.!As!shown!in!the!figures!below,!the!SunSafe!hats!include!(from!left!to!right):!legionnaires,!
bucket! style,! and! broad! brimmed! hats.!These! hats! provide! the! best! sun! protection! for! the!
forehead,!cheeks,!chin,!and!neck!compared!to!other!styles.!Other!hats!include!caps!(baseball!or!
sun!visors)!and!bicycle!helmets!with!a!visor!as!these!provide!some!sun!protection!but!not!as!
much!as!the!SunSafe!hats.!The!final!category!is!no!hat,!and!includes!no!hat,!bandanna,!head!
wraps/beanies/veils!or!scarves!worn!over!the!head,!or!helmets!with!no!visors.!
!
!
!
!
If!the!hat!is!not!on!the!head!when!you!count!the!individual!(e.g.!hat!strung!around!neck!and!
hanging! down! the! back),! they! are! counted! as! not! wearing! a! hat.! If! initially! the! individual! is!
without!a!hat!but!they!then!put!it!on!while!you!are!still!watching!them,!count!them!as!wearing!
a!hat.!Hats!are!part!of!the!school!uniform,!so!usually!there!is!only!one!type!of!hat.!It!is!not!always!
easy!to!pick!the!type!of!hat!especially!from!a!distance!and!especially!if!there!is!more!than!one!
type!of!hat!worn!at!the!school.!Note!bucket!hats!can!be!tucked!under!to!look!like!a!cap.!If!worn!
in!this!manner!then!they!should!be!recorded!in!the!“other!hat”!category.!
If! there! are! two! of! you!conducting! observations! simultaneously,! decide! on! how! you! will!
approach!the!counting!to!divide!up!the!area!to!avoid!replication.!Where!there!are!numerous!
individual’s!in! one! area! it! is! generally!more! efficient! to! divide! the! observation! area! into! two!
separate!areas!of!responsibility!(e.g.!if!observing!children!during!a!lunch!break!-!one!observer!
concentrates!on!counting!children!on!the!play!equipment!to!the!left!of!the!oval!and!while!the!
other!observer!counts!children!with!and!without!hats!playing!out!on!the!oval).!
!
!
The! next! section! of! information! explains! how! to! fill! out! a! paper-based! equivalent! of! the!
information!that!is!request!in!our!custom!smartphone!app:!
Recording&the&school&details&(please&see&top&half&of&sheet&below)&
!
Avoid! making! hat-wearing! observations! on! rainy! days,! however! if! rain! develops!
unexpectedly!during!the!course!of!an!observation,!please!note!this!in!the!space!provided!
on!the!recording!sheet.!!
Write!your!own!name!at!the!top!of!the!data!recording!sheet!in!the!space!provided.!This!
will!ensure!that!that!you!can!be!identified!as!the!observer!should!any!queries!come!to!
light!at!the!time!of!data!entry!(e.g.!if!hand!writing!if!difficult!to!interpret).!!!
Please!fill!out!each! section!of! the!observation!sheet.!The! top!half!of! the!sheet! is!seen!
above.! Note! the! date! of! the!name! of! the! school,! the! suburb! and! the! date! of! the!
observation.!Also!record!the!precise!time!of!day!that!you!begin!and!cease!observing!hat!
wearing!behaviours!so!that!the!duration!of!observation!can!be!determined.!Record!the!
duration! of! observations! in! minutes! lapsed.! Furthermore,! the! season! in! which! the!
observation!took!place!should!also!be!noted.!!
Note!whether!the!school!has!a!SunSmart!sign!(often!on!school!gate/perimeter!fence)!or!
not!in!the!comments!section.!!
Recording&cloud&cover:&
At!the!time!of!each!observation,!record!cloud!cover!as!a!fraction!of!eight.!!For!instance,!a!
cloud! free! day! would! be! recorded! as! 0/8th!cloud! cover.! A! sparse! scattering! of! cloud!
covering!approximately!1!section!of!a!total!of!8!would!be!recorded!as!1/8.!A!fully!clouded!
in!overcast!sky!would!be!considered!8/8!cloud!cover,!while!a!half!clouded!in!sky!where!
only!50%!of!the!field!of!view!looking!up!is!unclouded!would!be!considered!a!4/8th!cloud!
cover!day!(see!figure!below).!!
!
Recording&hat&wearing&data&–&bottom&half&of&the&sheet&
Please! fill! in! the! data! sheets! during! each! observation! made! according! to! the! labelled!
sections.! It! may! be! easier! to! use! tally! marks! when! counting! individuals,! clustering! in!
groups!of!five!to!make!it!easier!to!count!at!the!end;!or!if!you!are!counting!large!groups,!it!
may!be!easier!to!write!the!number;!or!you!could!do!a!combination!of!these!methods.!At!
the!end!write!down!the!total!of!each!section!in!a!circle!to!make!it!easier!to!read!(ie!total!
of!SunSmart,!other,!and!no!hats).!
This!will!make!it!easier!to!fill!out!the!‘Denom’!or!denominator.!The!denominator!is!the!
total!number!of!individuals!(eg!children!with!SunSmart,!other,!and!no!hats)!counted!in!the!
categories!of!children,!adult!role!models!and!siblings.!
!
When!finished,!keep!all!the!forms!together!in!a!safe!place.!When!convenient,!please!scan!the!
forms!for!data!entry!(email!to!Simone!or!Nicole)!or!upload!the!data!directly!into!the!online!data!
entry!dashboard!(under!development).!
!Thank&you&very&much&for&your&assistance!&
TOWNSVILLE!SCHOOL!BREAK!TIMES!2015!
SCHOOL
START
1st BREAK
2nd BREAK
FINISH
Aitkenvale State School
08:30
10:30-11:15
13:00-13:30
14:40
Annandale Christian school
08:40
10:30-10:50
12:20-13:10
15:00
Annandale State Primary
08:50
11:00-11:40
13:30 -14:00
15:00
Belgian Gardens State School
11:00-11:40
13:20-14:00
Bohlevale State School
08:30
10:30-11:00
12:50-13:30
14:30
Calvary Christian College
08:30
15:10
Cranbrook state school
09:00
11:00-11:25
13:10-13:45
15:00
Currajong State School
08:45
11:00-11:30
13:15-14:00
15:00
Garbutt State School
08:45
11:00-11:45
13:00-13:40
14:45
Good Shephard Catholic
Community College
08:30
11:00-11:40
13:10-13:30
14:50
Heatley State School
08:40
11:00-11.30
13.20-13.35
15:00
Hermit Park State School
11:00-11:30
13:10-14:00
Holy Spirit School
08:30
10:30-10:50
14:50
Kelso State School
08:50
10:50-11:30
13:00-13:30
14:50
Kirwan state school
08:30
11:00-11.45
13.20-13.45
14:50
Mundingburra State School
08:55
P-Y3: 10:30-11:15
Y4-6: 11:00-11.45
P-Y3: 13:15-13:45
Y4-6: 13:30-14:00
15:00
Oonoonba State School
08:45
11:00-11:40
13:30-13:50
14:50
Railway Estate State School
08:55
11:00-11:40
13:15-13:45
15:00
Rasmussen State School
08:30
10:30-11:00
13:15-13:35
14:30
Ryan Catholic College
Southern Cross Primary
08:30
10:30-11:00
12:40-13:10
14:50
St Anthony's Catholic College
St Clare's Catholic School
08:25
10:30-11:00
13:00-13:30
14:45
St Joseph's Mundingburra
08:30
10:30-10:50
12:50-13:30
14:50
St Joseph's North ward
08:30
10:30-11:00
13:00-13:30
14:50
The Cathedral School
The Marian School
08:25
10:30-10:50
12:30-13:10
14:50
Townsville Central State School
10:20-11:00
13:00-13:40
Townsville Grammar Junior
School (p - 6)
Townsville South State School
08:45
11:00-11:45
13:15-13:45
15:00
Townsville West State School
08:55
10:45-11:15
13:00-13:15
15:00
Vincent State School
11:00-11:45
13:15-13:45
Weir State School
08:45
10:45-11:30
13:00-13:30
14:45
Willows state school
09:00
11:00-11:40
13:10-13:50
15:00
Wulguru State School
08:55
10:55-11:40
13:15-13:45
15:00
!
!
APPENDIX!B:!SWIMMING!CARNIVAL!HAT!AND!SHIRT!
WEARING!OBSERVATION!MANUAL!
!
!
Observations!of!hat!and!shirt!wearing!!
behaviour!at!Townsville!interschool!!
swimming!carnivals:!Training!manual!!
for!volunteer!observers!
!
Author:!
Nicole!Bates!
!!
!
!
!
Revised!October!2015!
!
!
!
Skin!Cancer!Research!Group,!!
College!of!Public!Health,!Medical!&!Vet!Sciences,!
Division!of!Tropical!Health!and!Medicine!(DTHM)!
!James!Cook!University!
Background!
Queensland!has!extremely!high!levels!of!ambient!ultraviolet!radiation!(UVR)!and!the!highest!
rates!of!cutaneous!melanoma!(CM)!and!non-melanocytic!skin!cancer!in!the!world.!Queensland!
children!also!develop!pigmented!moles!(the!most!important!risk!marker!for!CM)!earlier!in!life!
and! in! higher! numbers! than! children! raised! in! temperate! climates,! putting! them! at! higher!
lifetime!risk!of!CM.!Strategies!to!reduce!sun-exposure!(shade/hats/clothing/sunscreen)!in!the!
first!decade!of!life!can!reduce!mole!development!and!subsequent!CM!risk.!The!introduction!of!
the!SunSmart!Schools!program!in!1998!by!the!Cancer!Council!led!to!significant!improvements!in!
sun-protective! behaviour! in! schools! over! a! decade.! However,! photographs! published! by! The!
Sunday!Mail!(2009)!showing!school!students!from!Cairns!to!Brisbane!who!were!outdoors!during!
peak! UVR! times! without! a! hat! or! access! to! shade,! has! led! to! concern! that! sun-protection!
practices!in!Queensland!schools!may!be!on!the!decline.!
Swimming!carnivals!are!normally!held!during!school!hours,!which!coincide!with!peak!UVR!times!
during!the!day.!Children!at! swimming!carnivals!are! exposed!to! both!overhead!and!reflective!
UVR,!thereby!increasing!their!risk!of!sunburn.!!
Aim!
Our! aim! is! to! observe! hat! wearing! by! children,! and! adult! role! models! during! interschool!
swimming!carnivals!in!the!Queensland!region!as!possible.!Schools!that!attend!these!interschool!
swimming! carnivals! include! public! (state! government)! primary! schools! and! private! (non-
government)!primary!schools!(Prep!to!Grade!6),!and!combined!schools!(Prep!to!Grade!12).!
Organising!the!observation!trip!
First,!it!is!important!to!determine!the!dates!and!locations!for!the!interschool!swimming!carnivals.!
In!Townsville,!these!carnivals!are!normally!held!over!three!days!in!March!at!either!the!Long!Tan!
Memorial!Pool!or!Aitkenvale!State!School!Swimming!Pool.!Due!to!the!number!of!schools!in!the!
Townsville!district,!schools!are!sorted!into!divisions!based!on!promotion!and!relegation!(A,!B,!C,!
D,!E!and!F).!These!divisions!are!assigned!to!a!morning!or!afternoon!carnival!over!the!three!days.!
Next,!familiarise!yourself!with!the!school!uniforms!for!each!school!in!order!to!make!it!easier!to!
recognise!up!to!six!schools!at!any!one!carnival.!
Things!to!bring!
To!be!eligible!to!become!a!volunteer,!certification!is!required!from!James!Cook!University!and!a!
current!Blue!Card!for!suitability!to!work!with!children.!
It!is!important!that!you!maintain!sun!safety!yourself,!so!please!wear!sun!protective!clothing,!a!
SunSmart! hat,! sunscreen! and! sunglasses.! There! is! normally! limited! shade! at! the! swimming!
carnival!and!you!may!be!sitting!into!the!sun!for!the!duration!of!the!swimming!carnival.!Also!bring!
observation! sheets,! clip! board,! pen,! spare! paper!and! a! water! bottle.! Wear! a! MPA! volunteer!
name!badge!if!you!have!one.!
Observation!method!
Observations! are! made! discretely! from! within! the! complex.! You! may! be! required! to! pay! an!
entrance!fee!or!purchase!a!program!for!the!carnival!(which!is!generally!a!gold!coin!donation).!
Please!arrive!prior!to!the!carnival!starting!in!order!to!observe!students!arriving!at!the!carnival.!
Please!note!that!students!may!enter!the!pool!complex!through!the!main!gate!or!from!the!side!
entrance.!Therefore,!it!is!easiest!to!be!seated!to!observe!both!entrances!if!possible.!!
Please! try! to! make! unobtrusive! observations.! ! Please! do! not! converse! with! school! students,!
caregivers! or! staff! present! about! the! purpose! of! the! observations! nor! inform! any! individual!
about!the!rationale!of!the!observations!as!this!will!only!alter!the!behaviours!we!are!trying!to!
observe.! If! challenged,! explain! that! you! are! assisting! with! a! skin! cancer! prevention! research!
project!for!Simone!Harrison!at!the!JCU!Skin!Cancer!Research!Group.!If!this!doesn’t!satisfy!the!
curiosity!of!the!enquirer,!refer!them!to!Simone!Harrison!by!providing!her!contact!details!(mobile!
0423!489!083!or!email!simone.harrison@jcu.edu.au).!!
Take!hat!wearing!observations!as!the!students!and!adult!role!models!arrive!at!the!swimming!
carnival!and!approximately!one!hour!into!the!swimming!carnival!when!students!are!settled!and!
events!are! underway.!Shirt!wearing!observations!are! made!approximately!one! hour!into!the!
swimming!carnival!when!students!are!settled!and!events!are!underway.!Include!all!children!and!
adult!role!models!that!you!observe.!Due!to!the!volume!of!individuals,!hats!are!classified!into!
hats!‘present’!or!‘absent’.!Shirts!are!also!categorised!into!shirt!‘present’!or!‘absent’.!
Only!include!individuals!where!you!can!clearly!identify!the!school.!For!example,!if!the!adult!role!
models!are!not!seated!within!the!school!zones,!you!may!not!be!able!to!identify!the!school!(unless!
they!have!a!school!shirt).!For!students,!if!the!student!is!wearing!a!school!uniform!or!school!hat!
or! are! within! the! designated! school! zone,! you! may! be! confident! in! assigning! the! student! to!
School!A.!However,!if!the!student!is!not!wearing!a!school!uniform!or!school!hat!and!was!on!the!
boundary!of!two!school!zones,!they!should!not!be!included!in!the!observation.!
& &
Recording&observations&
One!method!is!to!scan!your!finger!along!a!line,!gradually!sweeping!it!along!a!line!of!sight.!!You!
can!count!the!total!number!of!individuals!on!one!hand!and!the!ones!without!a!hat!on!the!other!
hand,!using!your!fingers.!!
Count! each! individual! (all! visible! children/adults)! and! put! them! into! the! student! or!adult!
category.!!Allocate!the!individual!to!a!hat!‘present’!or!‘absent’;!and!repeat!to!allocate!individual!
to!shirt!‘present’!or!‘absent’.!If!the!hat!is!not!on!the!head!when!you!count!them!(e.g.!hat!strung!
around!neck!and!hanging!down!the!back),!they!are!counted!as!not!wearing!a!hat.!If!initially!the!
individual!is!without!a!hat!but!they!then!put!it!on!while!you!are!still!watching!them,!count!them!
as!wearing!a!hat.!
Recording&observations&on&sheet&
Write!your!own!name!at!the!top!of!the!data!recording!sheet!in!the!space!provided.!This!will!
ensure!that!that!you!can!be!identified!as!the!observer!should!any!queries!come!to!light!at!the!
time!of!data!entry!(e.g.!if!hand!writing!if!difficult!to!interpret).!
Please!fill!out!all!of!the!details!as!they!are!required!when!entering!the!data.!The!next!section!of!
information!explains!how!to!fill!out!the!observation!sheet!(as!shown!below):!
!
Please!fill!out!each!section!of!the!observation!sheet.!The!top!part!of!the!sheet!includes!the!date,!
day,!swimming!carnival!division,!time!the!schools!arrival,!time!during!(approximately!one!hour!
into!the!swimming!carnival),!cloud!cover!and!if!it!is!raining.!
Recording&cloud&cover:&
At!the!time!of!each!observation,!record!cloud!cover!as!a!fraction!of!eight.!!For!instance,!a!cloud!
free! day! would! be! recorded! as! 0/8th!cloud! cover.! A! sparse! scattering! of! cloud! covering!
approximately!1!section!of!a!total!of!8!would!be!recorded!as!1/8.!A!fully!clouded!in!overcast!sky!
would!be!considered!8/8!cloud!cover,!while!a!half!clouded!in!sky!where!only!50%!of!the!field!of!
view!looking!up!is!unclouded!would!be!considered!a!4/8th!cloud!cover!day!(see!figure!below).!!
!
Recording&observations&
Please!fill!in!the!data!sheets!during!each!observation!made!according!to!the!labelled!sections,!
including! the! school! name.! It! may! be! easier! to! use! tally! marks! when! counting! individuals,!
clustering!in!groups!of!five!to!make!it!easier!to!count!at!the!end;!or!if!you!are!counting!large!
groups,!it!may!be!easier!to!write!the!number;!or!you!could!do!a!combination!of!these!methods.!
At!the!end!write!down!the!total!of!each!section!in!a!circle!to!make!it!easier!to!read.!This!will!
make!it!easier!to!fill!out!the!‘Denom’!or!denominator.!The!denominator!is!the!total!number!of!
individuals!(eg!children!with!hats!‘present’!and!‘absent’)!counted!in!the!categories.!
!
When!finished,!keep!all!the!forms!together!in!a!safe!place.!When!convenient,!please!scan!the!
forms!for!data!entry!(email!to!Simone!or!Nicole)!or!upload!the!data!directly!into!the!online!data!
entry!dashboard!(under!development).!
!Thank&you&very&much&for&your&assistance!!
!
