Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Vol 51, 698-700
Public awareness of malignant melanoma risk factors in Germany
A Pfahlberg, O Gefeller and KF Kolmel
Department of Medical Statistics, University of Gottingen, Germany.
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a German public education
campaign which aimed to improve knowledge on risk factors for malignant
melanoma. DESIGN: Comparison of data from two successive cross sectional
surveys conducted before (spring 1993) and after (autumn 1994) the
campaign. SETTING: All 56 nursery schools in Gottingen, the capital of
southern Lower Saxony, Germany. PARTICIPANTS: Parents of children attending
the nursery schools. Altogether 1341 questionnaires from parents were
included in the first survey (response rate 64.9%) and 1150 questionnaires
in the second survey (response rate 61.4%). MAIN RESULTS: The respondents
in the second survey were much better at distinguishing true melanoma risk
factors from false ones. The distribution of scores measuring the degree of
accurate knowledge about melanoma risks indicated that this had improved
significantly (p < 0.001). The most pronounced change with regard to
knowledge of single risk factors could be observed for "sunburn during
childhood," which was correctly identified by 63.1% in the first survey and
by 85.6% in the second. Substantial improvement in accurate knowledge about
the influence of constitutional skin factors--number of naevi, skin type
etc--was also found. CONCLUSIONS: Notwithstanding the methodological
problems in this analysis (non-randomised design, only before and after
comparison, no control group, number of non-respondents), it is concluded
that this campaign improved understanding of the risks of melanoma.
Continuing public education activities should be implemented to sustain and
improve further knowledge on prevention of malignant melanoma.
Copyright © 1997 by the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
