title: Skin cancer-related prevention and screening behaviors: a review of the literature.
abstract: Primary prevention and early detection continue to be of paramount importance in addressing the public health threat of skin cancer. The aim of this systematic review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the prevalence and correlates of skin cancer-related health behaviors in the general population. To achieve this aim, 91 studies published in international peer-reviewed journals over the past three decades were reviewed and synthesized. Reported estimates of sunscreen use varied considerably across studies, ranging from 7 to 90%. According to self-report, between 23 and 61% of individuals engage in skin self-examination at least once per year, and the documented prevalence of annual clinical skin examination ranges from 8 to 21%. Adherence to sun protection and screening recommendations is associated with a range of factors, including: female gender, sun-sensitive phenotype, greater perceived risk of skin cancer, greater perceived benefits of sun protection or screening, and doctor recommendation for screening. The literature suggests that a large proportion of the general population engage in suboptimal levels of sun protection, although there is substantial variability in findings. The strongest recommendation to emerge from this review is a call for the development and widespread use of standardized measurement scales in future research, in addition to more studies with a population-based, multivariate design. It is also recommended that specific targeted interventions are developed to increase the prevalence of preventative and early intervention behaviors for the control of skin cancer.
authors.affiliation: School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia. N.Kasparian@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Nadine A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Kasparian
authors.forename: Jordana K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: McLoone
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Meiser
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011481:Protective Clothing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013473:Sunscreening Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D013473:Sunscreening Agents