title: Adolescents' Attitudes to Sun Exposure and Sun Protection.
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.
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, Costa del Sol Hospital, Marbella, Spain. tfm_84@hotmail.com.|Clinical Medicine and Public Health at the University of Granada, Granada, Spain. tfm_84@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fernández-Morano
authors.affiliation: Research Department, Costa del Sol Hospital, Marbella, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas- REDISSEC, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rivas-Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, Costa del Sol Hospital, Marbella, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas- REDISSEC, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Troya-Martín
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, Costa del Sol Hospital, Marbella, Spain.
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Blázquez-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Research Department, Costa del Sol Hospital, Marbella, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas- REDISSEC, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria Padilla
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Agustín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buendía-Eisman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013471:Sunburn / Q000517:prevention & control; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013473:Sunscreening Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D013473:Sunscreening Agents
keywords: Adolescents; Attitudes; Questionnaires; Skin cancer prevention; Sun exposure; Sun exposure habits; Sun protection practices; Sunburn