Skin cancer: how portuguese “sunbathers” perceive risk

Abstract

Skin cancer has been on the rise among the Caucasian population and scientific literature suggests that the incidence of this type of cancer could be prevented if individuals adopted precautionary behaviours. Effectively, rates decrease if citizens avoid prolonged exposure to the sun and protect themselves when exposed. The current research paper aims to understand how a sample of Portuguese citizens perceive the risk of skin cancer during bathing season. Method: A sample of 318 participants, between 18 and 74 years of age, was gathered and both the Risk perception of Skin Cancer and the Socio-Demographic Questionnaire were employed. Results: It was found that the risk perception in the sample could be considered median, and is significantly higher than the average risk awareness in general. Conclusions: The study provides a boost towards identifying priorities in intervention programs in cancer and preventive behaviors. As recommendations for future research, we suggested comparative data, validations of the scale and qualitative methodology. Future research should examine the relations between risk perception in concomitance with other psychological concepts.