Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in the sun: the barriers to behavioural change in Northern Ireland

To inform future health promotion programmes, we studied the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of the Northern Ireland population to sun care. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was applied to one adult per household from a random sample of 1242 addresses. Lower levels of knowledge were found among respondents who were male, aged under 25 years or over 65 years, in a manual occupation or living in the west where health promotion activity on this topic was less active than in the east. Younger adults, females and professional groups were more likely to indicate that a suntan was important, healthy or attractive. Use of high factor sunscreen was inversely proportional to perceived importance of a suntan. Sunburn was more common in younger adults but more men reported multiple episodes of burning. Regular skin checks were uncommon and self-assessment of skin type was unrealistic indicating that sun care advice based on self assessment should be avoided in this population. Future campaigns should target appropriate messages at specific population subgroups. The study highlights the importance of collecting baseline information before implementing health promotion programmes and suggests that repeat monitoring is essential to ensure that key messages remain relevant. This study also indicates that Care in the Sun campaigns here impacted on general awareness in the population even with limited resources. There is, therefore, potential for greater impact with high funding levels.