Knowledge and health behaviours connected with melanoma prevention among people living in Poland and Australia

Introduction: Melanoma is a malignant skin tumour. Its incidence doubles every 10 years. The sooner it is diagnosed, the better the chances for successful treatment. Therefore, the need has arisen to spread knowledge about early detection of melanoma and its prevention. Aim of the study: To assess the knowledge and the extent to which skin cancer preventive measures are followed in selected groups of inhabitants of Poland and Australia. Material and methods: The study was conducted in a group of 267 people, 151 of whom lived in Poland and 116 in Australia. The study was carried out with the application of a diagnostic survey method. The research technique was a survey, and the research tool was a questionnaire designed by the authors. The study findings were examined by means of statistical analysis. Results: The study showed that although the average level of knowledge is good (46.4%), the extent to which the rules of melanoma prevention are applied is still unsatisfactory in the majority of population (42.3%). It was observed that Australian inhabitants had higher scores in both aforementioned cases ( p < 0.001); 91.4% of respondents had at least satisfactory knowledge about melanoma and 78.4% of them took proper preventive measures, whereas in Poland it was 75.5% and 41.7%, respectively. Conclusions: In most cases the respondents have a good level of knowledge, but they do not follow the rules of melanoma prevention. Australians have more knowledge about melanoma, and they are also more likely to take preventive measures.