title: Brief questions highlight the need for melanoma information campaigns.
abstract: Melanoma awareness was briefly assessed at walk/runs held simultaneously in Philadelphia PA, Phoenix AZ, and Seattle WA. Of the participants, 75 % (1521) answered short questions during event registration. Among 1,036 respondents aged 14 years and older, 66 % reported knowing melanoma warning signs. Significantly more respondents with melanoma family history reported having a physician-administered skin exam and knowing warning signs. More than one third of walk/run participants reported no definitive melanoma warning sign knowledge. Self-reported melanoma awareness and detection indices were lowest among Phoenix participants; the event city with the greatest annual sun exposure. Educational efforts for melanoma awareness are critically needed. Selected results of this project were presented in a poster forum at the 2006 Congress for Epidemiology meeting held in Seattle, WA (June 2006).
authors.affiliation: Arizona Cancer Center, Skin Cancer Institute, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA, jfoote@email.arizona.edu.
authors.forename: Janet A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Foote
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Poole
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001364:Awareness; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D058015:Health Communication; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D016730:Program Development; D012307:Risk Factors; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult