Abstract
BackgroundThe prevalence of skin cancers is constantly increasing in Morocco, and they have gradually become more aggressive due to a significant delay in the diagnosis. Our aim was to assess the levels of awareness and the influencing factors related to skin cancer knowledge in Morocco.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was carried out in Morocco through the medium of a validated questionnaire, which contained several items – demographics, skin cancer knowledge and attitudes towards skin cancer patients– during a period of 1 year (2014).ResultsOut of the 700 participants enrolled in the study, 17.9% had never heard of skin cancer, 32.5% had a low score of skin cancer knowledge, 66.7% had a moderate score, and only 0.85% had a high score of skin cancer knowledge. Further, 15.1% of the participants were under the assumption that this cancer is contagious. The sun was the most incriminated risk factor in skin cancer occurrence by 74.3% of the participants, and 57.9% of them believed that prevention is important through using various means of photoprotection. After univariate and multivariate analysis, the influencing factors related to the skin cancer knowledge in Morocco were: the socioeconomic status (P = 0.003, OR = 7. 3) and the educational level (p < 0.001, OR = 20. 9).ConclusionsDue to the lack of knowledge or the underestimation of skin cancer in our study population, efforts are needed to promote skin cancer surveillance behaviors in Morocco.
Highlights
The prevalence of skin cancers is constantly increasing in Morocco, and they have gradually become more aggressive due to a significant delay in the diagnosis
The aim of the present study was to assess the level of awareness, and the influencing factors related to Skin cancer (SC) knowledge in Morocco, and to detect attitudes towards SC patients based on the degree of awareness of our population
32,5% of the participants had a low score of SC knowledge level, 66.7% had a moderate score and only 0.85% had a high score of SC knowledge level (Table 3)
Summary
The prevalence of skin cancers is constantly increasing in Morocco, and they have gradually become more aggressive due to a significant delay in the diagnosis. There were an increase in melanomas’ aggressivity, in a study of 30 melanomas made in the region of Fez-Boulmane [3], Breslow index was more than 4 mm in 33%, 56 patients had metastasis and 2 patients died; while these numbers have almost doubled in a recent cohort of 70 cases of melanoma, carried out in the same region (unpublished data of the Moroccan Society of Dermatology), the Breslow at the moment of the diagnosis was > 4 mm in 50% of cases, with 4 cases of death Because of this increase, the costs attributable to the diagnostic delay and noneffective health care procedures are an economic burden and they are a problem for health care services worldwide, for example, Medical costs to treat SCs in the USA are estimated at $3 billion annually [4]. Kyle and al. [5] reported that every dollar spent on sun safety educational initiatives saves the nation almost $4 in health care costs, in addition to a reduction in morbidity and mortality associated with SC
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