Effectiveness of INTI educational program on photoprotection among adolescents in high-altitude rural Andean school: A quasi-experimental study

Otazu Masco Y.G.; Huarilloclla Ramos L.; Puño-Quispe L. · Public Health in Practice (2026) · DOI: 10.1016/j.puhip.2026.100853

Resumen

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program (INTI) on knowledge, attitudes, and photoprotection habits among adolescents exposed to high levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in a high-altitude rural area of Peru. Study design Quasi-experimental. Pretest-posttest study with non-randomized control and experimental groups. Methods The study included 37 third-year secondary school students from a public school in the Andean region of Peru, who were assigned to a control group (n = 18) or an experimental group (n = 19) that received the 12-session INTI educational program. Knowledge, habits, and attitudes toward photoprotection were assessed before and after the intervention using the CHACES questionnaire. Between-group differences in posttest scores were examined using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), adjusting for pretest score. Results Pretest scores were similar between groups. At posttest, the experimental group showed higher mean scores than the control group in knowledge ( M = 6.58; M = 5.89 ), habits ( M = 12.7; M = 10.4 ), and attitudes (M = 33.2; M = 30.1). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed statistically significant between-group differences in knowledge ( p = 0.033 ), habits ( p < 0.001 ), and attitudes ( p = 0.019 ) after adjusting for baseline scores. Conclusions The study demonstrated that the INTI program significantly improved posttest scores for knowledge, habits, and attitudes related to photoprotection in the experimental group compared with the control group.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana Unión