AAD survey finds men lag behind women in skin cancer knowledge

Men are less knowledgeable than women when it comes to skin cancer awareness, according to survey results released by the American Academy of Dermatology.

There were 56% of men knowing “there’s no such thing as a healthy tan,” compared to 76% of women participating in a 2016 AAD survey, according to a press release. Fifty-six percent of men knowe that skin cancer can occur on areas of the skin not typically exposed to the sun, compared with 65% of women in the survey.

The AAD reports that 54% of surveyed men knew that “getting a base tan is not a healthy way to protect the skin from the sun,” compared with 70% of women.

Abel Torres

“It’s important for both men and women to protect their skin from harmful ultraviolet rays and regularly examine their entire body, including hard-to-see areas, for signs of skin cancer,” Abel Torres, MD, JD, FAAD, president of the AAD, stated in the release. “While our survey results indicate that men don’t know as much about skin cancer prevention and detection as women, men over 50 have a higher risk of developing melanoma, so it’s important for them to be vigilant about protecting and monitoring their skin.”

The AAD survey was conducted Jan. 4 and 5, 2016, by Relevant Research of Chicago, according to the release. The online survey was completed by 1,020 respondents, with the data weight by sex, age, race/ethnic and income, according to the 2014 U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for adults aged 18-64 years, the release reported.

Reference: www.aad.org