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. 2020 Jun 26;7(2):184-186.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijwd.2020.06.007. eCollection 2021 Mar.

A pilot study examining skin cancer education in an underserved population at a free skin cancer screening

Herbert B Castillo Valladares  1 , Alison K Lee  2 , Shayan Cheraghlou  3 , Amanda Zhou  3 , Sarika Ramachandran  4
Affiliations

A pilot study examining skin cancer education in an underserved population at a free skin cancer screening

Herbert B Castillo Valladares et al. Int J Womens Dermatol. .

Abstract

Background: Minority populations are increasingly diagnosed with skin cancer and often in later stages with more aggressive subtypes.

Objective: We sought to pilot a study to evaluate the effectiveness of providing a skin cancer screening and education module to address potential barriers to dermatologic care for an underserved population in New Haven, Connecticut.

Methods: At a free clinic, voluntary adults (n = 24) waiting for a skin cancer screening were recruited and consented to participate. Participants completed a 16-question survey prior to the total body-skin examination and the educational module, as well as a survey after the examination.

Results: Most participants were uninsured (79%) and Hispanic (71%). Pre- and postintervention surveys indicated significant increases in knowledge, risk awareness, and confidence for self-screening.

Conclusion: This study establishes an effective public health education intervention to promote the prevention of skin cancer. A multicenter study with a larger sample size and longer follow-up period to assess knowledge retention could further address limitations in this initial pilot study.

Keywords: Access; Skin cancer; Uninsured.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

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