Background: Melanoma accounts for a small proportion of skin cancers but is the most serious. The prognosis is, however, good if it is diagnosed early, before the metastatic stages. For these reasons, population awareness and knowledge with regard to melanoma and the associated risk factors are critical to improving the effectiveness of melanoma primary prevention campaigns.
Objectives: The EDIFICE Melanoma survey was designed to cover a large number of topics related to sun exposure and melanoma: knowledge and awareness of the risks associated with sun and artificial ultraviolet exposure, knowledge of melanoma and the associated risk factors, behaviour regarding protective measures in adults and children.
Methods: The survey questionnaire was administered by experienced independent interviewers from the Kantar Health Institute using the Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview technique. It was important to avoid the effects of 'contamination' in answers to questions about sun exposure habits. Questions about exposure habits were therefore asked before those relating to knowledge of best practices for sun protection. A sample of 1502 individuals aged 18 years and over was interviewed. The survey data were weighted to eliminate structural variations between the sample interviewed and the reference population. Quantitative data were described by the means and standard deviations and categorical data by the numbers in each category and corresponding percentages. Three multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted and expressed in terms of odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals.
Results: In addition to the classic questions relating to sociodemographic characteristics, the EDIFICE Melanoma study questionnaire was organized around three themes: the opinion, attitude and knowledge of individuals regarding sun exposure and melanoma. The survey questionnaire lasted approximately 20 min.
Conclusions: This study provided a complete 'snapshot' of opinions, attitudes and knowledge of French people in 2011 with regard to sun exposure.
© 2015 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.