Study reveals men less likely to use active sun-protective measures

A recent JAMA study conducted by a joint team of researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine reports  there is a significant disparity between knowledge and attitudes on the dangers of skin cancer among male and female medical students in Florida.Overall, men had a lower knowledge level, less appreciation for the importance of sun protection and were less likely to use active sun-protective measures. It is known that men are at higher risk for melanoma than woman (1:41 compared to 1:61). Gender differences in knowledge and behavior possibly contribute to the higher melanoma incidence and mortality among men over women.

The study was published in the American Medical Association’s Archives of Dermatology.