China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
A Geomedical Appraisal of Australia and New Zealand
Published in Jul Låg, Geomedicine, 2017
The body areas affected are mostly those with maximum exposure to solar radiation — the face, arms, and shoulders. The three main types of skin cancer in Australia are basal cell carcinoma (75 to 80% of all skin cancers), squamous cell carcinoma (20%), and melanoma (2 to 3%). The incidence of malignant melanoma in Australia now is 32 per 100,000 population per year, but is even higher in Queensland and is doubling there every 15 years.
The Epidemiology of Skin Cancer
Published in Henry W. Lim, Herbert Hönigsmann, John L. M. Hawk, Photodermatology, 2007
Particular attention has been paid to the epidemiology of nonmelanoma skin cancer in Australia, where the highest ever incidence rates have been documented. In a study among 2095 inhabitants of Queensland, Australia, the incidence rate of nonmelanoma skin cancer in individuals aged 20 to 69 was 2389 per 100,000 person-years for males; 1908 per 100,000 person-years for females. The incidence of basal cell carcinoma was 4.5 times higher than that of squamous cell carcinoma (33). The population with skin type 1 in Queensland is considered a unique group for studying induction of skin cancer by sunlight. Another important study is the five-year longitudinal study (1982–1986) performed in 2669 people over 40 years of age, living in Maryborough, 180 kilometers north of Melbourne. The annual incidence rate for basal cell carcinoma was estimated as 672 per 100,000, and for squamous cell carcinoma was 201 per 100,000. The ratio of the incidence of basal cell carcinoma to that of squamous cell carcinoma was 33. Age, sex, skin reaction to sunlight, and occupation were all significant factors in the determination of the risk of developing nonmelanoma skin cancer (34). Recent data from Australia suggest that, after a steady increase of incidence rates in recent decades, a stabilization of incidence may have been reached in people younger than 60 years who were exposed to skin cancer prevention programs in their youth (5). Similarly, in south-eastern Arizona of the United States, where very high incidence rates compared to northern parts of the United States have been reported, this high incidence is not increasing further and especially the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma declined between 1985 and 1996 (35). Downward trends of squamous cell carcinoma over the past decades are also observed from Singapore, while the incidence of basal cell carcinoma increased on an average by 3% every year over the years 1968–1997 (36).
Parent-Reported Barriers and Enablers to Establishing Sun Safety Practices with Young Children in Australia
Published in Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Nursing, 2022
Kavindri Kulasinghe, Amy E. Mitchell, Alina Morawska
Despite high rates of skin cancer in Australia, adherence to recommended sun safety practices among young children remains poor (Baker et al., 2020). This study examined adherence to and barriers/enablers of recommended sun safety behaviors in the first 5 years of life. Adherence was generally better for some behaviors (e.g., use of protective clothing, hats) and worse for others (e.g., use of sunglasses); however, adherence to some behaviors varied across age groups. For example, consistent use of sunscreen was rarest for infants (<12 months; 16.2%) but increased to 37.6–42.9% of children aged 1–4 years. Conversely, consistent use of shade was commonest for infants (74.2%), but steadily dropped to 22.0% of 3-year-olds before increasing again to 35.1% of 4-year-olds.