Justina Mackevičiūtė¹, Inga Kisielienė^2,3, Matilda Bylaitė-Bučinskienė²

¹Vilniaus universiteto Medicinos fakultetas

 ²Vilniaus universiteto Medicinos fakulteto Infekcinių ligų ir dermatovenerologijos klinika

³Vilniaus universiteto ligoninės Santaros klinikų Dermatovenerologijos centras

ABSTRACT

Background:. One of the main factors causing skin cancer is ultraviolet sun radiation that can be reduced by sunscreen creams. Only appropriate usage of sunscreen products can assure high skin protection.

Objective: To review knowledge and usage habits of sunscreen creams in Lithuania by comparing pharmacists-consultants and random population.

Methods: The anonymous questionnaire of 20 questions about sunscreen creams was given to 120 random people and 80 pharmacists-consultants in Lithuania in 2017. The questionnaire contained personal demographic data, sunscreen cream usage habits and knowledge about SPF (Sun Protection Factor). The data was analysed using IBM SPSS (percentage frequency, Chi-test).

Results: Most of 200 respondents was 18-39 years old (59%), women (74%), educated in university (52%). All of the participants have heard about sunscreen creams, mostly on the internet and social media (55%). 38% of people in random group and even 59% of pharmacists-consultants like to sunbathe occasionally (p=0,014), therefore 83% of pharmacists-consultants and 67% of random people have got a sunburn at least once in the past (p=0,013).

Conclusions: Pharmacists-consultants are more tend to use a sunscreen cream compared to random people in Lithuania. Pharmacists-consultants also show better knowledge about SPF than the rest of the society. Almost a half of random participants do not consider sunscreen cream as skin cancer prevention and think that its’ usage is not necessary.

Keywords: sunscreen cream, SPF, skin cancer