Skin cancer prevention messages on social media
Official title: Skin cancer on social media: Analyzing current communications, modeling diffusion potential, and developing innovative prevention-focused messages
Funded at Trustees of Indiana University · NIH-11181615 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will create and test social media messages to help teens and young adults avoid risky tanning and protect their skin.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Trustees of Indiana University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bloomington, United States) |
| Project start | September 3, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,621,652 |
| NIH project number | 4R01CA279679-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11181615 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adolescents and young adults who use social media regularly and may engage in tanning or inconsistent sun protection.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not use social media, are outside the adolescent/young adult age range, or already have a diagnosed skin cancer are less likely to benefit directly from the messaging work.
What this research studies
Researchers will first review and map skin cancer–related posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to understand what messages are circulating. They will build a computer model to predict which prevention messages are likely to spread and why. Using those insights, the team will design clear, up-to-date prevention posts and pilot them with adolescents and young adults to see which messages engage and influence behavior. The work combines social media analysis, predictive modeling, and small-scale testing with young people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could produce social media messages that reduce indoor/outdoor tanning and increase sunscreen use among teens and young adults, lowering future skin cancer risk.
How similar studies have gone: Prior public-health social media campaigns have sometimes changed awareness and behavior, but applying predictive diffusion models specifically to skin cancer prevention for young people is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Trustees of Indiana University
Bloomington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Walsh-Buhi, Eric Richard — Trustees of Indiana University
- Study coordinator: Walsh-Buhi, Eric Richard
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.