PERCEIVED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO AND KNOWLEDGE OF MALIGNANT-MELANOMA - SCREENING PARTICIPANTS VS THE GENERAL-POPULATION

Background. The incidence of and mortality from melanoma are increasin g and no effective treatment for disseminated disease exists. Studies of factors influencing participation in prevention and early detection of melanoma are therefore warranted, in the present study, participan ts in public melanoma screening were compared with a sample of the Swe dish population with respect to concern for nevi, perceived risk for m elanoma, knowledge about melanoma, and sources of information. Gender differences were studied. Method. Consecutive participants in public m elanoma screening (Participants) received questionnaires at registrati on for skin examination; 235 (96%) responded. Questionnaires were dist ributed by mail to a random sample of the Swedish population (Public); 1,070 (63%) responded. Results. Participants were more concerned abou t nevi, and a higher proportion had previously consulted physicians fo r suspected lesions compared with the Public. Participants were better informed in terms of the number of sources of information and knowled ge of melanoma and risk factors. There were no differences regarding p erceived risk and there was a mixed picture concerning knowledge of su n effects and sun protection. Gender differences were found for percei ved susceptibility to, knowledge of, and number of sources of informat ion about melanoma, favoring women. Conclusion. The preventive aspects of screening as well as the good prognosis of melanoma detected early should be stressed in invitations to skin cancer screening. New appro aches for reaching men are warranted. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.