Melanoma literacy among the general population of three western US states.
Pigment Cell Melanoma Res
; 36(6): 481-500, 2023 Nov.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37574711
ABSTRACT
Melanoma is a significant cause of cancer death, despite being detectable without specialized or invasive technologies. Understanding barriers to preventive behaviors such as skin self-examination (SSE) could help to define interventions for increasing the frequency of early detection. To determine melanoma knowledge and beliefs across three high-incidence US states, 15,000 surveys were sent to a population-representative sample. We aimed to assess (1) melanoma literacy (i.e., knowledge about melanoma risks, attitudes, and preventive behaviors) and (2) self-reported SSE and its association with melanoma literacy, self-efficacy, and belief in the benefits of SSE. Of 2326 respondents, only 21.2% provided responses indicating high knowledge of melanoma, and 62.8% reported performing an SSE at any time in their lives. Only 38.3% and 7.3% reported being "fairly" or "very" confident about doing SSE, respectively. SSE performance among respondents was most strongly associated with higher melanoma knowledge, higher self-efficacy, and personal history of melanoma. Melanoma literacy among survey respondents was modest, with greater literacy associated with a higher likelihood of reported preventive behavior. This assessment establishes a baseline and provides guidance for public health campaigns designed to increase prevention and early detection of this lethal cancer.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Neoplasias Cutâneas
/
Melanoma
Tipo de estudo:
Risk_factors_studies
/
Screening_studies
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Pigment Cell Melanoma Res
Assunto da revista:
NEOPLASIAS
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos