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<p>Background: Adult athletes’ knowledge of skin cancer, the effects of sun rays and sun protection, and their dermatological exposure levelsare not known clearly. Particularly, athletes who train outdoors are exposed to sunlight for long periods. This study aimed to determinethe knowledge level of adult licensed athletes over 18 years old about sun and skin cancer and to evaluate skin findings by dermatoscopicexamination.</p><p>Materials and Methods: Adult licensed athletes between the ages of 18-45 in our province were included in the study. Participants’demographic data, sports disciplines, training, and license periods were recorded. Afterward, the “Skin Cancer and Sun Knowledge Scale”was applied to the participants. Volunteers among the participants who filled out the scale were included in the dermatoscopic examination.</p><p>Results: Two hundred licensed athletes [126 (63%) male, 74 (37%) female] were included in the study. The mean age of the athletes was21.44±0.29 years, mean height 174.80±0.66 cm, mean weight 67.86±0.87 kg, mean body mass index 22.07±0.19 kg/m2, mean trainingduration 8.66±0.37 hours/week and mean license duration 7.71±0.26 years. Of the participating athletes, 111 (55.5%) train indoors and89 (44.5%) outdoors. The mean score of all athletes “Skin Cancer and Sun Knowledge Scale” was 13.34±0.22. The indoor athletes’ meanscore was significantly higher (13.85±0.28 vs 12.72±0.34; p=0.018). Of 40 athletes (indoor athletes n=23; outdoor athletes n=17) who wereexamined with dermatoscopy, 92.5% (n=37) had melanocytic skin findings, 55% (n=22) had inflammatory skin findings, and 40% (n=16) hadnon-inflammatory skin findings. In terms of dermatoscopic examination findings, there was no difference between athletes training indoorsand outdoors (p˃0.05).Conclusion: It was determined that the level of knowledge of adult athletes in our city about sun and skin cancer is very low. There is a needto increase the knowledge level of all athletes, especially outdoor athletes, about the harmful effects of the sun.</p><p>Keywords: Athlete, Skin cancer, Sun, Knowledge, Dermatoscopic examination<br></p> |
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