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A Pilot Observational Study of Environmental Summertime Health Risk Behavior in Central Brisbane, Queensland: Opportunities to Raise Sun Protection Awareness in Australia's Sunshine State
Author(s) -
Dexter Ben,
King Rachel,
Harrison Simone L.,
Parisi Alfio V.,
Downs Nathan J.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/php.13011
Subject(s) - noon , mobile phone , sun protection , population , observational study , demography , incidence (geometry) , geography , skin cancer , phone , environmental health , medicine , socioeconomics , advertising , business , engineering , telecommunications , cancer , sociology , linguistics , philosophy , physics , optics , pathology , astronomy
Melanoma skin cancer rates in Queensland exceed the national Australian incidence rate, which together with New Zealand are recognized as the world's highest. Incidence is especially high among younger members of the population. In this study, the sun‐protective behaviors of urban Queenslanders ( n = 752) going about their day‐to‐day activities during a midweek noon time hourly period were observed on a summer's day in central Brisbane (27.47°S, 153.03°E), Australia. Observed sun protection practices were poor, given the time of year and peak solar noon period of the study. More individuals ( n = 249; 33.1%) were seen wearing sunglasses than a hat ( n = 101; 13.4%). Ninety‐three individuals were actively engaging with mobile phones (phone in hand). A further 231 individuals (30.7%) were observed with a mobile phone on them. Opportunities to modify group behavior based on mobile phone sun protection notifications and to engage with “at risk” members of the Queensland population are considered from the variable codependencies examined in this study, including the influence of social group size, observed sun protection and mobile phone use. Our preliminary findings suggest that mobile phones provide an underutilized opportunity for delivering tailored skin cancer prevention messaging.