Abstract
BackgroundLack of data on skin whitening (SW) among Cameroonian female university students prompted us to undertake the present study which aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitudes, practices and motivations of female university students vis-a-vis SW.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study conducted from January to April 2013 in 4 university campuses of Yaoundé, Cameroon. Any female student regularly registered in one of the study sites, who was present at the campus when the investigator visited and volunteered to participate in the study was enrolled.ResultsOverall, we recruited 620 female students, their ages ranging from 16 to 46 years with a mean of 21.3 ± 2.9 years. Only 87 participants (14%) found that SW was a good practice. One hundred and sixty nine respondents (27.3%) were currently practicing SW with no age difference when compared to their counterparts (p = 0.09). The desire to have a uniform body skin color was the prevailing reason motivating the practice of SW (39.1%), followed by the need to have a soft skin (29%). Assessment of levels of knowledge regarding advantages of the black skin and deleterious effects of SW showed excellent scores (≥75% of good answers) only in 6.1 and 0.5% of cases respectively, with no difference between those practicing SW or not (all p values > 0.05).ConclusionThe practice of SW is common among Cameroonian female university students who should therefore be educated on the advantages of the black skin and the harmful effects of SW.
Highlights
Lack of data on skin whitening (SW) among Cameroonian female university students prompted us to undertake the present study which aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitudes, practices and motivations of female university students vis-a-vis SW
Results from the present study indicate that almost thirty percent of female university students (27.3%) were practicing SW, only a few of them (14%) judged the practice to be a good one
The cosmetic use of skin bleaching agents is a common practice among female university students residing in Yaoundé, Cameroon
Summary
Lack of data on skin whitening (SW) among Cameroonian female university students prompted us to undertake the present study which aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitudes, practices and motivations of female university students vis-a-vis SW. Skin whitening (SW) is the process consisting in the reduction in the physiological pigmentation of the body skin by the cosmetic use of bleaching agents [2]. Over time, this desire to appear “white” has become widespread; a global phenomenon reaching especially the sub-Saharan African part of the globe where a large majority of women is practicing SW, as the phenomenon is gradually getting rid of its shameful aspect [3]. Consequential complications, either local or systemic, can result from their chronic
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