Sunscreen Nudge Framing for Teen Reapplication

ISEF Category: Translational Medical Science

Subcategory: Disease Prevention  ·  Difficulty: Intermediate  ·  Setup: School Lab  ·  Time: 1 to 2 Months

The Hook

A tiny habit can change a big risk. Most people miss sunscreen reapplication, even when they know better. Your project tests which kind of reminder actually gets teens to act. You will compare message framing with a real-world endpoint, not just self-reports.

What Is It?

This project studies how the wording of a reminder changes behavior. You are not changing the sunscreen itself. You are changing the message. One version may stress loss, like what happens if you skip reapplying. Another may stress gain, like the benefit of staying protected. A third may appeal to identity, like being the kind of person who protects skin health.

Think of it like three different ways to ask a friend to do homework. One says what they might lose, one says what they might gain, and one says who they want to be. The question is which version works best for your group. In this project, you would track whether teens reapply sunscreen more often and pair that with UV-sensitive film badges, which change with sunlight exposure and give you a more objective signal than memory alone.

Why This Is a Good Topic

This is a strong science fair topic because you can test a real behavior with clear groups, measurable outcomes, and practical health value. It connects to skin cancer prevention, which makes the work meaningful. You can learn study design, messaging effects, and basic statistics without needing a university lab. The project also gives you room to build a cleaner experiment than a simple survey, since the badge data can back up the behavior data.

Research Questions

• How does loss-framed SMS messaging affect sunscreen reapplication adherence compared with gain-framed messaging??
• How does identity-framed Discord messaging affect sunscreen reapplication adherence compared with loss-framed messaging??
• What is the effect of message framing on UV-film badge exposure scores across teen volunteers??
• To what extent does message channel, SMS versus Discord, change sunscreen reapplication adherence??
• Does baseline sun safety knowledge predict which framing works best for each participant??
• Which message frame produces the highest match between self-reported reapplication and badge-based exposure data??

Basic Materials

• Teen volunteer participants with parent or guardian consent forms.
• Smartphone with SMS or Discord access.
• UV-sensitive film badges or stickers.
• Sunscreen with a standard SPF level chosen ahead of time.
• Survey form for baseline habits and daily check-ins.
• Spreadsheet software for tracking responses.
• Printed randomization sheet for assigning message groups.
• Timer or calendar reminder system for message sending.

Advanced Materials

• UV-sensitive film badges with a consistent scoring method.
• Spectrophotometer or phone-based color analysis setup for badge reading.
• Controlled outdoor exposure log with weather and UV index records.
• Statistical software for regression, chi-square tests, or mixed-effects analysis.
• Image analysis software such as ImageJ for badge color quantification.
• Secure data entry system for participant IDs and message assignment.
• Message scheduling tool for standardized delivery times.

Software & Tools

• Google Sheets: Organizes participant data, randomization, and outcome tracking in one place.
• R: Runs group comparisons, regression models, and repeated-measures tests.
• ImageJ: Measures color change in UV badges and turns images into numerical data.
• NOAA UV Index app or website: Helps you record daily UV conditions during the study.
• PubMed: Lets you search review articles on sunscreen adherence, message framing, and health behavior change.

Experiment Steps

1. Define the exact behavior you will measure, such as same-day or next-day reapplication after a prompt.
2. Choose one message feature to vary first, then keep the rest of the text, timing, and platform consistent.
3. Assign participants to groups with randomization so one framing does not get easier participants by accident.
4. Plan how you will score both adherence and UV-badge exposure before you collect any data.
5. Set up controls for weather, activity level, and time outdoors so exposure differences mean something.
6. Decide which statistics will compare the groups and which graph will best show the result.

Common Pitfalls

• Measuring only self-reported sunscreen use, which can overstate real adherence.
• Sending different message lengths or tones across groups, which confuses framing effects with writing style.
• Letting participants choose their own reminder channel, which breaks random assignment.
• Ignoring UV exposure time and weather, which can make badge scores look different for the wrong reason.
• Reading badge color by eye instead of using a fixed scoring method, which adds bias and weakens comparisons.

What Makes This Competitive

A stronger project would tighten the design and push past a simple group comparison. You could test whether one framing works better for students with different baseline habits, or whether the effect changes across the school week versus weekends. You could also compare self-report to badge data and measure how often the two disagree. That kind of analysis shows you are testing both behavior and measurement quality, not just sending reminders.

Project Variations

• Test the same message frames with parents as the reminder source instead of direct student messages.
• Compare SMS with Discord, then keep the best-performing framing and test a new channel such as email or app notifications.
• Use a different outcome, such as sunscreen carry-around behavior or shade-seeking, if badge wear is hard to manage.

Learn More

• PubMed: Search review articles on sunscreen adherence, health message framing, and adolescent behavior change.
• NIH National Cancer Institute: Find patient and prevention resources on skin cancer and sun protection.
• CDC Sun Safety resources: Read public guidance on UV exposure and prevention behaviors.
• NOAA UV Index: Check official UV forecasting and learn how UV risk is reported.
• American Journal of Public Health: Search for peer-reviewed studies on message framing and preventive health behavior.