title: Sun Protection Habits and Attitudes Among Healthcare Personnel in a Mediterranean Population.
abstract: Health professionals are key agents in healthcare promotion. In the field of skin cancer, they play a crucial role in the development of prevention strategies in the community. This paper aims to describe the sun exposure attitudes and habits of public healthcare professionals in the western Costa del Sol (Spain). A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the Costa del Sol healthcare district to analyse sun exposure and protection practices and habits, and attitudes to tanning and sun protection. The respondents, all healthcare personnel in various professional categories and workplace situations, were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Six hundred forty-three workers in the Costa del Sol healthcare district took part in the study. Of these participants, 450 were healthcare professionals. Of the 450 health professionals, 226 (50.2 %) were nurses or auxiliary nursing staff, and the remaining 224 were doctors. These two groups presented differences regarding habits of sun exposure: 15.3 % of the doctors went to the beach at least 30 days a year, compared to 30.9 % of the nurses (p < 0.001). With respect to workplace situation, there were differences (p < 0.001) between the sunburn events reported by healthcare staff who worked in hospitals (52.4 %) compared to those working in primary healthcare (30.4 %); comparable differences were found with respect to attitudes toward the use of sunscreen creams (p = 0.014). This study identifies two distinct subgroups within healthcare personnel: on one hand, primary healthcare professionals, who are key agents for future policy strategies, and on the other, specialist healthcare professionals, who are more likely to suffer sunburn events and therefore toward whom strategies should be addressed to encourage them to change their sun exposure attitudes and habits and sun protection practices.
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, Costa del Sol Hospital, Autovia A-7, km 187, 29603, Marbella, Spain.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Troya-Martín
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, Costa del Sol Hospital, Autovia A-7, km 187, 29603, Marbella, Spain. laura.padilla.espana@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Padilla-España
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, Costa del Sol Hospital, Autovia A-7, km 187, 29603, Marbella, Spain.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Férnandez-Morano
authors.affiliation: Distrito Sanitario Costa del Sol, Hospital Costa del Sol, Autovia A-7, km 187, 29603, Marbella, Spain.
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Delgado-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, Costa del Sol Hospital, Autovia A-7, km 187, 29603, Marbella, Spain.
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Blázquez Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Research Department, Hospital Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rivas-Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Herrera-Ceballos
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria Victoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: de Gálvez-Aranda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D013471:Sunburn / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013473:Sunscreening Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D013473:Sunscreening Agents
keywords: Costa del Sol; Health professionals; Sun habits