An international survey on sun exposure behaviors and skin cancer detection found there are many imperfections and geographic inequalities in prevention of skin cancer.
Information from the study, published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology by researchers from La Roche-Posay and the George Washington University (GW) Department of Dermatology, could help inform future awareness campaigns developed to address the need to reduce the incidence of skin cancer.
With nearly 20,000 participants around the world, it was one of the largest international studies of its kind on consumer sun protection and behaviors. Survey results indicated that 88 percent of respondents were aware of the risks of developing skin cancer when exposed to the sun without protection. However, four in 10 respondents said they don’t think to protect themselves from the sun outside vacation.
“This is a global wake-up call,” says Adam Friedman, M.D., senior author for the study and associate professor of dermatology at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences. “There are still a lot of gaps in people not only actively monitoring for cancer, but preventing it.”
According to the data, using sunscreen and wearing sunglasses were the most frequent preventive measures. Education level, as well as gender, influenced the degree of sun protection: A higher level of education corresponded to a higher level of sun protection.
