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TANNING PRACTICE, PERCEPTION AND SUNBURN AMONG KING ABDUL-AZIZ UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Reem H. Alenazi, Bashair M. Alwasiyah , Abdulaziz H. Alanazi , Ahmed Hassan Alhasan , Maha H. Alenazi, Dania A. Alseini*, Mohamed abduljabar

Background: One of the most important causes of skin cancer is exposure to Ultraviolet (UV) radiation Non-melanoma skin cancer is more prevalent than malignant melanoma skin cancer . One in three cases are diagnosed as skin cancer .One very important step in reducing its incidence is to educate all people about the harmful implications of exposure to sunlight and to raise awareness through education among people on how to better protect themselves against UV radiation.Sunburns and tanning promote damage which induce immunosuppression and skin cancer . Method: A representative sample of 236 of KAU's students living in varied area of Jeddah was selected randomly to filling electronic questionnaire. The sample will be 236 members, Data were collected by Co-Authors, The target population was the general population of adults residing in Jeddah, age 18 and over, Saudi citizen, willing to participate, and KAU students. Non-KAU students and under 18 were excluded from the study. Result: Out of 236 participants who met the inclusion criteria , 203 (86%) were female and only 33 (14%) were male so the number of women participating has doubled the men, which means females had better cooperation , also Men and women appear to differ in how they respond to sun-safe practices .3 (1.3%) of participants had diagnosed with a skin cancer. And only 1(0.4%) had family history diagnosed with a skin cancer . According tanning less than half of participants 95 (40%) had practice tanning . 20% of the tanners reported using sun screen but details on the proper use or the specific levels of sun protective factor (SPF) is not known to ensure the significance of the finding Tanning Side effect , and 36.4% of them use sunglasses during the tanning. Burns are the most common complication by 45% ,followed by itching and redness . Overall, respondents had a sense that sun exposure is bad for their health .Most of the population correctly identified that the sun causes skin cancer and that it is more harmful for fair skin than for dark skin. Conclusion: Although our study sample possessed good knowledge towards sun tanning, their attitude and practices were satisfactory. Thereby, they need to be informed and educated as how to be safely protected against excessive sun exposure. Key words: Tanning, sunburn.

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