Knowledge and habits of sun exposure in university students: a cross-sectional study in Southern Brazil

Abstract

Background: Excessive sun exposure is the major risk factor for skin cancer. Thus, sun exposure behavior is the major focus for prevention of this disease, since it is potentially modifiable. Increasing the knowledge on sun related habits and other skin cancer risk factors is fundamental in the development of preventive programs, especially when directed to young people. Objectives: To assess the photoprotection habits and the knowledge about skin cancer in college students. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from Oct. 16 to Feb. 17, including 371 students from the Federal University of Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, through a self-administered questionnaire. Results: The level of knowledge about skin cancer and photoprotection was unsatisfactory in more than 10% of the students. The occurrence of sunburn was extremely high among students, and 25% reported at least one episode of second degree sunburn. Proper use of sunscreen was referred by only 34% of individuals. Students who reported having received photo education in college were associated with a more consistent use of sunscreen. Study limitations: health area represented a large part of the sample; instrument validated outside Brazil. Conclusions: Young people are unaware of basic information about sun protection and exposure. Even among those with proper knowledge, the use of photoprotective measures is very low. The sun exposure has shown to be excessive in most of the students, which makes this population an important target for photo-educational measures.

Sun Exposure and Protection Practices of Spanish University Students of Education Sciences. Are Future Teachers Protected Against Skin Cancer and Other Adverse Effects?

“…Our findings show that university students are alarmingly exposed to sunburn, with nearly 75% experiencing such a lesion during the previous year. This rate is similar to that found in the USA, where 76% of university athletes had had 1-3 sunburns in the previous year [29], and in Brazil, where 67% of university students had suffered this experience [30]. Nevertheless, even higher rates have been observed in other contexts, for example the 87% reported for nursing students in Spain [19].…”

“…To our knowledge, no previous studies of the sun exposure and protection practices of university students have focused on the area of education sciences; our review of the literature shows that most have analysed students of health sciences, other areas of science or the humanities [19,[22][23][24]30,36], while an Italian study focused on professional high school students of the agricultural and construction sectors [37]. The overall conclusion of almost all these studies is coherent with the findings of the present study, highlighting that the students' sun protection behaviour and practice are largely inappropriate.…”

What Sun Protection Practices Should Be Adopted by Trainee Teachers to Reduce the Risk of Skin Cancer and Other Adverse Outcomes?

“…Our findings show that university students are alarmingly exposed to sunburn, with nearly 75% experiencing such a lesion during the previous year. This rate is similar to that found in the USA, where 76% of university athletes had had 1–3 sunburns in the previous year [ 32 , 33 ], and in Brazil, where 67% of university students had suffered this experience [ 34 ]. Nevertheless, even higher rates have been observed in other contexts, for example, the 87% reported for nursing students in Spain [ 22 ].…”

“…To our knowledge, no previous studies of the sun exposure and protection practices of university students have focused on the area of education sciences; our review of the literature shows that most have analyzed students of health sciences, other areas of science, or the humanities [ 22 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 33 , 39 ], while an Italian study focused on high school students and outdoor workers in the agriculture and construction sectors [ 40 ]. The overall conclusions drawn in almost all of these studies are coherent with our own findings that the participants’ sun exposure and protection practices are often inappropriate.…”

Protection of the Eye from Ultraviolet Radiation Damage Among Adults in Addis Zemen Town, Northwest Ethiopia

“…In this study, the proportion of good practice to protect the eye from ultraviolet radiation damage was 40.23% (95% CI: 36.62-48.91%) which was in line with studies done in Canada, Brazil and Malta. [23][24][25][26] This level of protection practice is categorized as low which needs prevention and protection campaigns to reduce the damages of ultraviolet radiation.…”