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Adolescents’ Attitudes to Sun Exposure and Sun Protection

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Abstract

Adolescents are considered a risk group for the development of skin cancer in later life due to their high rates of sunburn. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between attitudes to sun exposure and the sociodemographic characteristics of adolescents, their habits, practices and knowledge. As a secondary goal, we describe the magnitude and sign of the correlations between these attitudes. Cross-sectional study of adolescent students from 12 secondary schools in southern Spain, the subjects were asked to complete the ‘Beach Questionnaire’. This instrument examines four dimensions of attitudes, with standardised scores of 0–100, related to the sun, sun tanning, sun protection and sun cream. The higher the score, the more positive the attitude. The study population was composed of 270 adolescents. The highest scores were obtained for attitudes towards sun protection practices (mean 66.2; SD 18.6) and towards sun tanning (mean 64.2; SD 21.1). The lowest scores were obtained for attitudes towards using sun cream (mean 50.1; SD 24.6). Significant differences were found for all four attitudes, with a positive sign for the relationship between the number of days of sun exposure and a higher score for attitudes towards sunbathing (27.3 points difference between response extremes) and for attitudes towards suntanning (20 points difference). Favourable attitudes towards sunbathing and sun tanning have most influence on inadequate habits of sun exposure and deficient measures of sun protection. Adolescents should be considered a priority group for targeted interventions to improve sun protection behaviour.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the directors and teachers of the schools visited and all those students who answered the questionnaires. We thank the research team at the Costa del Sol Hospital for their support. We also thank Glenn Harding for translating the text. We also thank those responsible for the Ph.D. Programme in Clinical Medicine and Public Health at the University of Granada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dermatology Department, Costa del Sol Hospital, Marbella, Spain

    Teresa Fernández-Morano, Magdalena de Troya-Martín & Nuria Blázquez-Sánchez

  2. Clinical Medicine and Public Health at the University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Teresa Fernández-Morano

  3. Research Department, Costa del Sol Hospital, Marbella, Spain

    Francisco Rivas-Ruiz & Maria Padilla Ruiz

  4. Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas— REDISSEC, Madrid, Spain

    Francisco Rivas-Ruiz, Magdalena de Troya-Martín & Maria Padilla Ruiz

  5. School of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Agustín Buendía-Eisman

Authors
  1. Teresa Fernández-Morano
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  2. Francisco Rivas-Ruiz
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  3. Magdalena de Troya-Martín
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  4. Nuria Blázquez-Sánchez
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  5. Maria Padilla Ruiz
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  6. Agustín Buendía-Eisman
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Correspondence to Teresa Fernández-Morano.

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The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Teresa Fernández-Morano is a Doctoral Student in the Ph.D. Programme at the University of Granada.

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Fernández-Morano, T., Rivas-Ruiz, F., de Troya-Martín, M. et al. Adolescents’ Attitudes to Sun Exposure and Sun Protection. J Canc Educ 32, 596–603 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-015-0976-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-015-0976-z

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