Psychosocial factors associated with skin self-exam performance.

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined psychosocial factors associated with skin self-exam (SSE) performance by young adults. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The authors administered surveys to 218 US college students (aged 18-26 years) attending a large midwestern university.
RESULTS: Contrary to prior research, men (44%) and women (49%) were relatively similar in the frequency with which they performed at least 1 SSE in the previous year. In addition, neither gender was particularly diligent at checking all 6 areas of the body (ie, arms or hands, front torso, head or neck, legs or feet, back torso, and sides or armpits); they especially overlooked body areas identified by dermatologists as high risk. For men, a behavioral belief (do not think about performing) and a normative belief (descriptive norm) significantly predicted SSE performance. For women, 2 behavioral beliefs (do not think about performing, do not know what to look for), a normative belief (descriptive norm), and bodily discomfort (uncomfortable looking at body) significantly predicted SSE performance.
CONCLUSIONS: SSE campaigns should target awareness, symptoms to look for, descriptive norms, and bodily discomfort. In addition, health communicators should encourage men and women to more thoroughly examine high-risk areas of their bodies, which are routinely overlooked.