Abstract
The incidence of skin cancer is increasing worldwide. Included in high risk group are people who have light common phenotypic factors (hair, skin, eyes), have high number of naevi, report previous sunburns and have a family history of skin cancer. Protecting the skin from the sun by wearing protective clothing, using sunscreen and avoiding sun exposure are recommended among primary preventive activities. The purpose of this study was to describe the current patterns of sun protection measures adopted by nurses and to examine the association between compliance with sun protection measures and the main risk factors of melanoma. This cross sectional study was conducted in 2007 during the Annual Greek National Conference of Nursing. Nurses most commonly chose to use sunscreen, to wear glasses, to use an umbrella or to seek for shade in order to protect themselves against sun exposure. Finally, phenotypic factors, previous sunburns and common naevi presence were found to affect nurses’ attitude towards protective measures. This study poses the necessity of targeting high risk groups for melanoma through campaigns aiming to foster sun protection behaviours.
Highlights
Our study indicated an increased number of high risk group nurses in Greece for the development of skin cancer, since almost 40% were of light skin colour and reported previous sunburns during childhood
Our results revealed that main socio-demographic characteristics such as gender and age and main risk factors including light eye and skin color, previous sunburns and the presence of common naevi robustly affect the attitude of nurses towards the use of protective measures against sun exposure
Our results revealed that older ages were more compliant with sun protection measures and this is in accordance with the results of other studies which reported increased use of hats, protective clothing and seeking for shade as protective measures among older ages [34,35]
Summary
Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been linked with an increased risk of developing skin cancer [6,7]. UV exposure during childhood seems to be a main factor that induces mutations in the melanocytes that are associated with an increased induction of nevi and an increased risk for the development of melanoma. Research has indicated that increased sun exposure is associated with an increased number of common naevi in children [10,11]. Light-skinned children who are exposed to sunlight increase their number of naevi and the risk for developing melanoma later in life [12]. Other studies have demonstrated that frequent childhood sunburn and family skin cancer history are two other very important risk factors for the development of malignant melanoma [13,14]
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