Original Research ArticleAwareness, knowledge and behavior of medical personnel regarding skin cancer, sun-related hazards and sunscreen utilization at ABSTRACT Background: Worldwide, skin cancer is a major public health concern. It is a common malignancy in Saudi Arabia. The three most prevalent types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the most common modifiable risk factor to lower the risk of the leading types of skin cancer. Practicing protective measures can aid in decreasing the risk of developing skin malignancies. Methods: Data collection took place at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This crosssectional study was conducted via a structured self-administered questionnaire among medical personnel. Results: The majority (81.9%) of the sample participants were Saudi citizens. Moreover, medical students of 4th year, 5th year and 6th year represented half of the sample. Mean±SD values for the knowledge, behavior, and awareness scores were 6.85±3.31, 8.57±5.00, and 17.75±7.05 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in mean awareness score for the various categories of demographic variables. One-way-ANOVA revealed statistically significant difference among the different job titles in terms of awareness score with a p value <0.001.
Conclusions:The results of this study have shown that the knowledge regarding skin cancer and behavior towards sun exposure is inadequate. Therefore, increasing the knowledge in the form of awareness campaigns is highly recommended.
BackgroundThe impact of COVID-19 on the world is rapidly spreading among countries. According to WHO, wearing face masks was recommended to prevent its spread. After regular use of face masks, some people have experienced common skin disorders such as facial acne, rash, and eczema. This paper aims to cite the prevalence and potential risk of wearing a face mask on the skin by exploring some of the rationales that have been established in the literature.
MethodologyA cross-sectional study was carried out in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in November 2021. A self-administered online questionnaire was distributed among 389 participants from the adult public to find the correlation between face mask wearing and skin damage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistical analysis was conducted using the IBM SPSS statics for windows, version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, USA) to evaluate and test the hypothesis.
ResultsThe study included 389 participants; 63.8% of them were female and 36.2% were male. The main result of this study was that there was a statistically significant association between the duration and frequency of wearing a face mask and developing skin damage. 58.1% of the participants were using face masks for more than 4 hours. Furthermore, 22% and 59.1% of the male and female participants, respectively, said they noticed adverse skin reactions on their faces after using a face mask.
ConclusionOur study revealed that 46% of the participants noticed adverse skin reactions on the face by wearing a face mask. Females had a significantly higher chance of developing skin irritation than males.
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