Attitudes about and practices for skin cancer prevention among patients with dermatological issues in Hanoi, Vietnam: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Raising awareness and educating people regarding practices for skin cancer or melanoma prevention are critical in the context of the adversely increasing effects of global climate change. This study aimed to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding skin cancer prevention and to determine the associated factors to knowledge, attitudes, and practices among dermatological patients in Vietnam. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 590 dermatological patients between 18 and 82 years of age, who received an examination or treatment from the National Hospital of Dermatology in Hanoi, Vietnam, from September to December 2018. The respondents' attitudes on skin cancer and cancer prevention were assessed via face-to-face interviews with a structured questionnaire conducted by trained interviewers. Results: Of the 590 respondents, the majority of people had correct responses to the question regarding skin cancer knowledge. Among the total participants, 39.8% thought that they were at risk of skin cancer, and 13.8% believed their occupation increased their skin cancer risk. The majority of respondents used hats (94.9%) and sunscreen skin coats (89.5%) and went into the shade (86.3%) when exposed to the sun. Women were less likely to be aware of their skin cancer risk but were more likely to practice prevention behaviors. Conclusion: Our results show that dermatological patients have acceptable knowledge towards skin cancer prevention, but still need to change their behavior to prevent the risk of skin cancer. This study highlights the importance of education to raise awareness regarding skin cancer in order to promote practice prevention strategies for skin cancer in Vietnam.

Genetic and immune changes in Tibetan high-altitude populations contribute to biological adaptation to hypoxia

“…Environmental factors at high-altitude such as low oxygen partial pressure, UV exposure, very low temperature can affect the immune system and make it more susceptible to cancer, various infectious and autoimmune diseases. For example, at high-altitude >2500 m, several diseases including acute mountain sickness, head-ache, pulmonary edema, cerebral edema, skin cancer, hypertension, peptic ulcers, upper gastro-intestinal haemorrhage, gastric carcinoma, gastro-intestinal bleeding easily occur [1][2][3]. However, genetic adaptations have been evolved by high-altitude Tibetan populations to cope with such an extremely hypoxic environment [4][5][6].…”

Public Health Communication: Skin Cancer Prevention Implications

“…On the other hand, women also report higher rates of deliberate sunbathing and indoor tanning use. The research of Nguyen et al, (2020) has shown that almost 40% of respondents considered that they were at risk of skin cancer, but women were less aware of their skin cancer risk. A significant percentage of respondents of all age groups had never conducted screening and never considered it to be necessary (from 30-40%), although that percentage was the lowest in case of the oldest group.…”

“…Prevention programmes represent an efficient means to combat this public health issue (Tizek et al, 2019). Primary prevention programmes have the goal to reduce skin cancer risk behaviour of the population, by raising awareness on the topic and educating people about preventive practices (Nguyen et al, 2020;Parsons et al, 2018). Conduction of mass media informational and educational campaigns appears to be an effective tool for rising population's knowledge level and preventive behaviour (Calloway, Fricke, Carpenter, & Yaroch, 2021).…”

“…In order to develop effective communication strategies, it is necessary to get a valuable insight into awareness, attitudes and behavioural patterns of the target population, which is a necessary foundation for the development of tailored communication programs. These were the topic of the research of authors in different countries, such as Trad and Estaville (2017) in USA, Garcia-Montero et al (2020) in Spain, Nguyen et al (2020) in Vietnam and Sideris and Thomas (2020) in Australia. In accordance with the previous research which pointed out to valuable differences among demographic groups of study population, the authors have recognized the need to conduct a comprehensive research on this important topic in Serbia.…”