Skin cancer prevention practices of barbers for their customers: a pilot study

Most skin cancers develop in the head-and-neck area due to sun-related ultraviolet (UV) damage to unprotected skin and are preventable. Currently, one in four men in the UK will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Those with short hair have an increased risk of UV damage. Barbers who cut men's hair could help influence their customers' head-and-neck skin cancer prevention behaviours.

To investigate a sample of UK barbers' current personal and customer-related skin cancer prevention practices, and practices they may consider using in the future, and to explore influences on customer skin cancer prevention practices.

Stratified random sampling using Google Maps was used to select a sample of barbers from a UK city who were visited in person and invited to complete a paper survey, which were collected 1-2 weeks later.

Twenty-three of 31 invited participants completed the survey, giving a 74% response rate. Fifty-seven per cent (n = 13) reported regularly or always wearing sunscreen themselves, 17% (n = 4) reported regularly or always discussing sunscreen with customers, 9% (n = 2) reported applying sunscreen to customers and none sold sunscreen. Fifty-five per cent (n = 12) indicated they would consider talking to customers about sunscreen, 26% (n = 6) would consider applying sunscreen to customers and 35% (n = 8) would consider selling sunscreen. Participants' self-application of sunscreen protection and believing sunscreen protection was important had a statistically significant association with talking to customers about sunscreen, considering talking to customers about sunscreen and considering selling sunscreen.

Most participants reported that they would consider talking to customers about sunscreen protection, over a quarter would consider applying sunscreen protection and over a third would consider selling sunscreen. Barbers could help customers adopt healthier skin cancer prevention behaviours, lowering customers' risk of developing head-and-neck skin cancers.