Australasian Journal of Dermatology provides the latest peer-reviewed, original research articles, reviews and case reports dealing with all aspects of clinical practice and research in dermatology.
Featured Article
Patient demographic characteristics and risk factors associated with sun protection behaviours in specialist melanoma clinics
Smith, J. Espinoza, D. Smit, A. K. Gallo, B. Smith, A. L. Lo, S. N. Guitera, P. Martin, L. K. Cust, A. E.
Objective: We investigated the association between sun protection behaviours and demographic and melanoma risk characteristics of patients attending Australian melanoma specialist clinics. This may assist in targeting and tailoring melanoma prevention patient education for people at high-risk and specific population subgroups.
Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of questionnaire data collected from participants attending the dermatology clinics at two major melanoma centres in Sydney, Australia between February 2021 and September 2023. The primary outcome was Sun Protection Habits (SPH) index (a summary score measured as habitual past month use of sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, a shirt with sleeves that covers the shoulders, limiting midday sun exposure and seeking shade, using a Likert scale). The primary analysis considered the SPH index and its component items scored as continuous.
Results: Data from 883 people were analysed. Factors associated with less frequent sun protection behaviours overall included male gender, no personal history of melanoma, lower perceived risk, lower calculated 10-year risk of developing melanoma, and no private health insurance. People aged >61 years reported lower use of sunscreen but higher use of hats and sleeved-shirts compared with people in the younger age group. There was no difference in overall sun protection behaviours according to family history of melanoma, country of birth or by lifetime melanoma risk among people without a personal history of melanoma.
Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential for targeting high-risk individuals with less frequent use of sun protection for patient education, public health messaging and ultimately improving sun protection behaviours.
About the Journal
The Australasian Journal of Dermatology is the official journal of the Australasian College of Dermatologists and the New Zealand Dermatological Society. Editorially independent and peer-reviewed, the journal showcases the latest in dermatology research and innovation.
With four issues a year and special editions, the journal covers clinical presentations, medical and physical therapies and investigations, including dermatopathology, mycology, dermoscopy, surgery and contact dermatitis.
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Editorial Board
Associate Professor John Frew
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Dr Harriet Kennedy
Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
A/Prof Frew is a clinical dermatologist and Director of Research at The Skin Hospital in Sydney, Australia. He is a Conjoint A/Prof of Dermatology at the University of New South Wales and is the current Editor-in-Chief of the Australasian Journal of Dermatology. He currently holds a clinical appointment at Liverpool Hospital in Sydney, Australia and is Head of the Laboratory of Translational Cutaneous Medicine at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research. A/Prof has authored over 130 peer-reviewed articles and has a special interest in pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of inflammatory dermatoses. | Dr Kennedy is a dermatologist at Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand. She is a general dermatologist with special interests in patch testing and vulval dermatology, and she has a masters degree in contact allergy from the University of Sydney. Dr Kennedy is a honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland and has been on the Editorial Board of the Australasian Journal of Dermatology since 2018. |
| Dr Nikki Adler | Monash University, Melbourne, Australia |
| Dr Bruno Blaya | The Skin Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| Dr Peggy Chen | Taranaki District Health Board, New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Dr Karen Cheung | The Skin Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| Dr Shih-Sung Cheung | Chi Mei Medical Centre, Tainan, Taiwan |
| Dr Helena Collgros Totosaus | New South Wales Health, Australia |
| Dr Gyohei Egawa | Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan |
| Dr Haady Fallah | Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| Prof Pablo Fernandez-Penas | University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia |
| Dr Bryan E.K. Guevara | Southern Philippines Medical Centre, Davao, Philippines |
| Dr Monisha Gupta | The Skin Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| Dr Izolda Hydenrych | Cosmetic Dermatology Centre, Cape Town, South Africa |
| Prof Johannes Kern | Skin Health Institute, Melbourne, Australia |
| Prof Kiarash Khosrotehrani | Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Brisbane Australia |
| Dr Joseph Konya | The Skin Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| A/Prof Christopher McCormack | Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia |
| Dr Gilberto Moreno Bonilla | The Skin Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| Dr Je-Ho Mun | Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea |
| Dr Dany Nassar | Hospital Cochin, Paris, France |
| A/Prof David Orchard | Private Suites Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia |
| Dr Yan Pan | Victorian Melanoma Service, Alfred Hospital, Victoria, Australia |
| Dr Julio Cesar Salas-Alanis | School of Medicine and Health Services TecSalud ITESM, Mexico |
| A/Prof Stephen Shumack | Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, Sydney, Australia |
| A/Prof Deshan Sebaratnam | University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia |
| A/Prof Helmut Schaider | Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Brisbane, Australia |
| Prof Rodney Sinclair | University of Melbourne and Epworth Hospital, Melbourne, Australia |
| Prof H Peter Soyer | Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Brisbane, Australia |
| Dr Artiene Tatian | Sydney Children’s Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| A/Prof Steven Thng | Skin Research Institute of Singapore, Singapore |
| Prof Maurice van Steensel | Institute of Medical Biology, Singapore |
| Dr Etienne Wang | National Skin Centre, Singapore |
| Prof Orli Wargon | Sydney Children’s Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| Dr Belinda Welsh | Complete Skin Specialists, Sunbury, Victoria, Australia |
| Prof Chao-Chun Yang | National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan |
| Dr Ashfaq Marghoob | Memorial Sloan Kettering Skin Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA |
| Prof John McGrath | St John’s Institute of Dermatology, London, United Kingdom |
| Dr Masaru Tanaka | Tokyo Woman’s Medical University, Medical Center East, Tokyo, Japan |
| Dr Mark Tang | National Skin Centre, Singapore |
| Dr Clark C Otley | Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA |
