Skin Cancer Risk Among Young Agriculturalists: Sun Awareness and Protection

OBJECTIVE: – The relationship between the knowledge levels of agriculture faculty students regarding skin cancer risk and their protective behaviors was examined. METHODS: – This study is a descriptive and cross-sectional research conducted to evaluate the knowledge and behaviors of agriculture faculty students regarding skin cancer and sun protection. Research data were collected with the Personal Information Form, Skin Cancer and Sun Knowledge Scale, and Sun Protection Behavior Scale. RESULTS: – The mean scores obtained on the Skin Cancer and Sun Knowledge Scale were 10.95 ± 3.02, and the mean scores of the Sun Protection Behavior Scale were 24.79 ± 6.95. A statistically significant relationship was found between sun protection behaviors and various factors such as sex, hair color, skin color, and mole-checking methods (P <.05). More specifically, students who described their skin color as dark had lower scores in sun protection, which was a statistically significant difference (P <.05). In addition, a weak negative relationship was discovered between the subscale of skin cancer risk factors and the subscale of sun avoidance (P <.05). CONCLUSIONS: – The study indicates that agriculture faculty students possess insufficient knowledge about skin cancer and sun protection, and their preventive behaviors are inadequate. It is important to develop educational programs and implement strategies to provide students with the necessary behaviors regarding skin cancer and sun-related health.