The perception of sun exposure as predictor for skin cancer among health-related students in Umm Al-Qura University: A cross-sectional study

Background: The significant increase in the incidence of skin cancer emphasizes the need to learn how to prevent it. Throughout this study, we polled health-related students at Umm Al-Qura University on their perception of sun exposure as a risk factor for skin cancer. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the perception of sun exposure as a predictor for skin cancer among health-related medical students. Methodology: From January to February 2022, an analytic cross-sectional study was conducted at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Results: The current study involved 354 health-related students as participants. The average age of participants was 21.97 +/- 1.75 years. Males made up 72.8 percent of all responses, while females made up 27.2 percent. The vast majority of students were sixth-year medical students, accounting for 25.2 percent of total participation. In addition, the medical faculty was the most responsive of all the health colleges. The percentage of students with a high degree of knowledge in our study was the smallest. Sunscreen should be applied during sun exposure was answered correctly by 80% of respondents, while 20% wrongly responded that you do not need to apply sunscreen on cloudy days. Conclusion: Skin cancer is a serious disease requiring early detection and treatment. Excessive sun exposure causes most skin malignancies, which are preventable. These results indicate that there should be more campaigns in the future that emphasize the importance of sunscreen products and the correct way to apply them.