Chronic Fear and Worry about Skin Cancer Influences People to Use Sunscreen: Study

Fear of developing skin cancer is a key factor behind influencing the level of usage of sunscreen, according to a study.

Skin cancers like melanoma are on the rise in countries where people have severe exposure to harsh sunlight and UV radiation. Financial stability, lifestyle changes and holidaying trends drive more people to head to exotic tropical locations and seek fun under the sun. These habits increase the risk of deadly forms of skin cancer.

Experts from the University of Buffalo found heavy use of sunscreen is more common among those who worry about getting skin cancer.

They add just like fear, emotions and perceptual reactions induce people to binge on junk food, constant worry about cancer leads to frequent use of sunscreen lotions. Their study looked at 1,500 people with symptoms or history of skin cancer enrolled in a trial conducted by the National Cancer Institute.  The participants were interviewed on their use of sunscreen and their apprehensions about skin cancer.

It was observed that around 32 percent of the subjects never used sunscreen lotions and 14 percent admitted using it always. Educated individuals from all socio-economic backgrounds reported increased sunscreen use. The study noted higher usage was associated to increased degrees of worry.  

"Our research looked at the interplay of emotions and facts in decision making- that is, how do cognitive and affective risks jointly work to influence behavior. The nature of their interrelation as an influence on behavior has not been examined until this study," said Marc Kiviniemi, study author and assistant professor of community health and health behavior, in a news release.

"These findings show that clinicians might want to think more about feelings when encouraging people to use sunscreen. In addition to providing educational information about risk, encouraging people to consider how they feel about cancer and how worried they are about it might inspire preventive behaviors," he adds.

These findings help health officials to develop prevention and early intervention strategies to curb the prevalence of skin cancer. The authors believe further investigation is needed to determine ways to ensure positive impacts of fear and risk perception in the prevention of diseases and behaviors like use of condoms.

More information is available online in the Journal of Behavior Medicine.