Keywords: Skin, Skin cancer, Sun, Sun Protection

Background:

The incidence of skin cancer has increased worldwide since 1950.Although mortality in young people has decreased with early diagnosis and treatment, there has been a dramatic increase in mortality in people over the age of 65.It is possible to protect against skin cancer with simple methods and skin cancer is a disease that can be prevented with early diagnosis.

Aim of the study:

In this study,it was aimed to determine the relationship between
socio-demographic characteristics,skin characteristics,eye color and hair color
conditions, skin burn and skin cancer expressions and the level of skin cancer
knowledge and sun protection behaviors of patients over 18 years of age.

Methodology:

Our research, which was designed as descriptive and cross-sectional,
was prepared with face-to-face surveys and online survey interviews.Two scales
were used in the study, namely "Skin Cancer and Sun Knowledge Scale" and "Sun
Protection Behavior Scale".

Results:

400 people aged 18 and over were included in the study.The mean age
of the participants was 37.34±15.38, 73.5% female,60.8% married,85.8%
university graduate,81% active in an income generating job,31.2% have chronic
diseases.5.5% of the participants were very light-skinned and 30% had light-
colored eyes;24% had freckles,79% had moles,53.3% had a history of skin burn
at least once, and 2.8% had a family history of skin cancer.17% of the
participants stated that they were exposed to the sun for more than 2 hours a day,
and 90.3% of them stated that the sun causes skin cancer.

Conclusions:

In our study,it was observed that there was not enough awareness
among the participants on skin cancer knowledge level and sun protection
behavior,considering skin cancer risk factors and socio-demographic
characteristics.There are few studies in the literature on skin cancer knowledge
level and/or sun protection behavior with validated scales.Studies can be
increased and developed to increase the level of knowledge and awareness of
primary care physicians and/or their patients.