Original articleSkin cancer education and early detection at the beach: A randomized trial of dermatologist examination and biometric feedback
Section snippets
Methods
Four popular and crowded beaches in low- to middle-income communities in the Boston, MA, area participated in this study, each randomized to receive one of the 4 different education programs delivered on a community education van.
Eligibility criteria included being: (1) aged 18 years and older; (2) able to understand, speak, and read English; and (3) able to give informed consent. Analyses were restricted to Caucasians because of the few African Americans and Hispanics at the beaches and their
Baseline findings
In all, 596 beachgoers were eligible for the study and enrolled (Fig 1); 532 completed the final survey (89% response rate). Participants overall were middle-aged, and were at high risk for skin cancer as reflected by fair complexion and burning history (Table I); of note, almost 60% had received a sunburn in the previous month, and sun protection practices overall were relatively poor. There were significant baseline differences in demographic characteristics by condition including sex,
Discussion
From 2- to 4-fold risks of melanoma have been associated with intermittent sun exposure incurred at beaches.23, 24, 25 In this study of beachgoers, we observed fewer sunburns, more sunscreen use and hat-wearing, and improvement in knowing what to look for when conducting a SSE, in the biometric feedback groups, compared with conditions not including biometric feedback. The Community Preventive Services Task Force26 concluded that there is sufficient evidence for sun protection interventions in
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Supported by an unrestricted grant from the SHADE Foundation of America.
Conflicts of interest: None declared.