title: Positive changes in sun-related behavior in Israel (1994-1998).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current preventive measures against skin cancer focus on individual sun protection and early detection. Solar radiation in Israel is powerful, and about one-half of its population is fair skinned. We investigated whether public awareness efforts yielded changes in sun-related behaviors in Israel from 1994 to 1998.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Department of Health Promotion in the Ministry of Health in Israel has been conducting an ongoing research on health knowledge, attitude, and practice, including six closed questions about sun-related behaviors in a general questionnaire. Independent samples of about 3,000 people representing the adult Jewish population (18 years old and above) were surveyed in 1994, 1996, and 1998. Response rates in 1994 and 1996 were about 85 and 80% in 1998.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of people reporting sun protection behaviors increased from 34% in 1994 to 41% in 1996 and to 46% in 1998. Periodic medical skin examination increased from 9% of the responders in 1994, to 13% in 1996 and to 16% in 1998. The number of people reporting having fair skin increased from 28% in 1994 to 41% in 1996 and to 43% in 1998.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were positive changes in sun-related awareness and behaviors in Israel between 1994 and 1998. These findings support the conclusion that positive gains were associated with the health promotion efforts conducted by the Israel Cancer Society, Ministry of Health, and other Israeli organizations throughout these years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel. dov.tamil@moh.health.gov.il
authors.forename: Dov
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tamir
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tamir
authors.forename: Itzhak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dayan
authors.forename: Haik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Josef
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orenstein
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shafir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013471:Sunburn / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013473:Sunscreening Agents
chemical_list: D013473:Sunscreening Agents