Posters

Presenting Author

Lois C. Akpati

Presentation Type

Poster

Discipline Track

Biomedical Science

Abstract Type

Research/Clinical

Abstract

Introduction: Skin cancer incidence has increased within the last 40 years. It accounts for 1 in 3 cancer diagnoses worldwide. (1) Sunscreen serves as a protective barrier against the harmful effects of sun exposure such as skin cancer. (2) Despite the advantages of using sunscreen, studies suggest that it is being under-utilized. (3) The preliminary goal of this research is to develop, validate and standardize a questionnaire to assess the sunscreen utilization of adolescents and adults in both Mexico and the United States along the Rio Grande Valley

Methods: A questionnaire in both English and Spanish has been developed to assess sunscreen utilization and sun exposure of the surveyees. We will perform face validity, reliability with test-retest approach, internal consistence with alpha Cronbach, intraclass correlation in clusters (i.e.: family, schools or clinics), and sensitivity to detect contrasts The results of the survey will be analyzed using a 2k factorial design.

Expected results: Using the 2k factorial design, we aim to assess the differences of sunscreen use amongst the following groups: Male versus female surveyees, adolescent versus adult surveyees and people residing in the United States versus residing in Mexico. The obtained statistics will help to calculate sample sizes in future studies. Future endeavors: Intervening with adolescents who do not utilize sunscreen well is something we look forward to partaking in: both locally and through policy change. After obtaining preliminary data with the questionnaire, we plan to do further studies regarding the relationship between circulating vitamin D levels, sun exposure, and sunscreen usage.

Share

COinS
 

Developing A Tool Used For Assessing Sunscreen Utilization and Sun Exposure

Introduction: Skin cancer incidence has increased within the last 40 years. It accounts for 1 in 3 cancer diagnoses worldwide. (1) Sunscreen serves as a protective barrier against the harmful effects of sun exposure such as skin cancer. (2) Despite the advantages of using sunscreen, studies suggest that it is being under-utilized. (3) The preliminary goal of this research is to develop, validate and standardize a questionnaire to assess the sunscreen utilization of adolescents and adults in both Mexico and the United States along the Rio Grande Valley

Methods: A questionnaire in both English and Spanish has been developed to assess sunscreen utilization and sun exposure of the surveyees. We will perform face validity, reliability with test-retest approach, internal consistence with alpha Cronbach, intraclass correlation in clusters (i.e.: family, schools or clinics), and sensitivity to detect contrasts The results of the survey will be analyzed using a 2k factorial design.

Expected results: Using the 2k factorial design, we aim to assess the differences of sunscreen use amongst the following groups: Male versus female surveyees, adolescent versus adult surveyees and people residing in the United States versus residing in Mexico. The obtained statistics will help to calculate sample sizes in future studies. Future endeavors: Intervening with adolescents who do not utilize sunscreen well is something we look forward to partaking in: both locally and through policy change. After obtaining preliminary data with the questionnaire, we plan to do further studies regarding the relationship between circulating vitamin D levels, sun exposure, and sunscreen usage.

blog comments powered by Disqus
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.