Knowledge, habits, and attitudes of photoprotection in teenagers

Abstract

Introduction: skin cancer is a frequent neoplasia in the human being all around the world; its incidence has increased during the last decades, fact that is considered as an expression of habits of more exposition to ultraviolet radiations. Between 60 % and 80 % of the exposition to sunlight throughout the live occurs before the age of 18 years. Children and teenagers are the most vulnerable to radiation due to the fact that sun damage is maximal and accumulative.

Objective: to describe knowledge, habits and attitudes of photoprotection in students of the secondary level.

Materials and methods: a descriptive, cro0ss-sectional study was carried out in teenagers of the Secondary School ¨Candido González¨, located in La Playa, municipality of Matanzas, in the period from January to March 2017. The universe was formed by all the students attending the 7^th and 8^th grade (259). 

Results: the skin phototype III predominated in the studied population. According to knowledge on photoprotection and photodamage, 195 students (75.3 %) were evaluated as bad.  65.6 % of teenagers referred the usage of sun protective creams. In relation with the attitude toward sun tanning, it was adequate in 240 students (92.7 %). 

Conclusions: the erroneous knowledge on photoprotection and photodamage of the questioned students could be related to inadequate habits and histories of sunburn they listened