Differences in reported sun protection practices, skin cancer knowledge, and perceived risk for skin cancer between rural and urban high school students.

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to evaluate differences in reported use of sun protection, tanning behaviors, skin cancer-related knowledge, and perceived risk between rural and urban high school students in a geographic area with high rates of melanoma.

Methods: A total of 1,570 high school students (56.8% female) from urban (6 schools) and rural (7 schools) geographic areas in Utah completed questionnaires assessing sun protection and tanning behaviors, skin cancer-related knowledge, and perceived risk for skin cancer. Analyses examined potential differences in these outcomes between rural and urban students and by gender.

Results: Compared to students in urban areas, those in rural areas had lower odds of wearing sunscreen (OR 0.71; 95% CI 0.53, 0.95; p = 0.022), re-applying sunscreen (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.74, 1.02; p = 0.002), wearing long-sleeved shirts (OR 0.63 95% CI 0.46, 0.86; p = 0.004), and seeking shade (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.50, 0.88; p = 0.005).

Conclusions: Rural students reported less adequate use of sun protection than urban students. Rural male students reported lower knowledge scores compared to urban males. Future skin cancer prevention efforts targeting rural high schoolers are warranted.