Health Disparities Among Different Ethnic and Racial Middle and High School Students in Sun Exposure Beliefs and Knowledge

Received 2 November 2009; accepted 23 December 2009. published online 08 March 2010.

Abstract

Racial and ethnic differences may influence sun protection behavior. Adolescent students were administered a sun protection questionnaire and educational program. White people had the greatest pretest knowledge which resulted in the highest score, and blacks and Hispanics scored lower. White people who found tanned individuals attractive had greater score improvements. All groups improved after intervention.

Keywords: Skin cancer, Sun safety, Tanning, Sun protection, Healthcare disparities, Perception, Beliefs, Minorities, Adolescents, Ability to learn

a Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

b Department of Dermatology, UMDNJ–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey

c UMDNJ–School of Public Health, New Brunswick, New Jersey

Address correspondence to: Alexandra B. Kimball, M.D., M.P.H., Clinical Unit for Research Trials in Skin (CURTIS), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 50 Staniford St., Suite 240, Boston, MA 02114.

Blair Irwin was funded through a grant from the Women's Dermatological Society.

PII: S1054-139X(09)00712-5

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.12.028

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