Correlates of thorough skin self-examination intentions among individuals at risk for skin cancer

Abstract Background: Melanoma is a growing public health concern in the United States and has the highest fatality rate of all skin cancers. Early identification of melanoma can improve survival rates. A thorough skin self-examination (TSSE) means examining the skin on all areas of the body systematically and deliberately and is an effective way to detect melanoma early, which could decrease melanoma mortality by 63%. Therefore, early surveillance or detection of melanoma has great potential to improve survival and lower disease morbidity. This study examined potential socioeconomic factors and health beliefs associated with TSSE among individuals at risk for skin cancer. Methods: Participants were recruited via Amazon MTurk and screened for their eligibility (at risk for skin cancer; e.g., having more than 2 moles that are larger than 1/4 inch, reporting very fair or fair skin type) via a Qualtrics survey. Eligible participants were then guided online to view educational materials related to skin cancer and skin self-examination and completed an online questionnaire that assessed their TSSE intentions, beliefs about skin cancer and skin self-examination, and demographic information (N=321). Results: Participants ranged from 18 to 76 years old (M = 36.61, SD = 10.57); 56.7% (n=182) of the sample was female, 76.0% (n=244) had a college or higher degree, and over 80% (n=194) identified as non-Hispanic White. Linear regression analyses, controlling for age, gender, education, and melanoma risk, showed that perceived benefits of SSE (B=.163, SE=.097, p =.001), perceived barriers of SSE (B=-.344, SE=.075, p<.001), perceived risk of getting skin cancer (B=.349, SE=.077, p <.001), perceived efficacy of doing SSE (B=.118, SE=.090, p <.05), being scared of getting skin cancer (B=.139, SE=.066, p <.01), and social norms of performing SSE (B=.207, SE=.089, p =.001) were significantly associated with TSSE intention among individuals at risk for skin cancer. Participants who had great perceived benefits (e.g., identifying spots or growths on the skin that are cancerous or may become cancerous), fewer perceived barriers (e.g., taking too much time to do regular skin self-examination), greater perceived risk of getting skin cancer (e.g., chances of having melanoma in the future), great efficacy of conducting SSE (e.g., confident that I can tell the difference between a melanoma and normal skin growths), greater fear of the possibility of getting skin cancer, and stronger norms that family and friends expected them to conduct SSE reported greater TSSE intentions in the next 3 months. Conclusion: The findings of this study contribute to the preventive direction of skin cancer by identifying correlates of TSSE intentions among individuals at risk. By uncovering the factors significantly associated with TSSE intention, this study offers valuable insights into areas that can be targeted in future skin cancer prevention and intervention efforts. Citation Format: Zhaomeng Niu, Carolyn Heckman. Correlates of thorough skin self-examination intentions among individuals at risk for skin cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr C102.