Evaluating perceived threat of skin cancer and preventive measures in South Iranian sailors: A qualitative study
نویسندگان
1 Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Research Center of Prevention and Epidemiology of Non‑communicable Disease, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences
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3 Department of Nursing, Research Center for Nursing and Midwifery Care in Family Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Science
4 Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
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doi
چکیده
BACKGROUND: Sailors are exposed to sunlight as their job requires and are, in the long run, moreprone to different types of skin cancer. This study aimed to explore sailors’ experience of perceivedthreat and to show protective behaviors against sunlight in the south of Iran.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present follows a qualitative approach and directed contentanalysis in 2018–2019 among sailors who were selected purposively through an interview procedure.Finally, 22 sailors and 3 patients with skin cancer with an experience of sailing were intervieweduntil data satiation occurred. The data were collected through a semi‑structured interview based ontwo constructs, perceived susceptibility and perceived severity of protection motivation theory, andwere instantly transcribed and read more than once by the present researcher. Simultaneously, thedata were entered into MAXQDA 10 for the primary categorization.RESULTS: Data analysis results were classified into 5 categories and 12 subcategories: protectiveattempts (change of work time and use of protectives), passivity in self‑protection (not showingprotective behaviors and not examining skin), inadequate perception of affliction risk (beliefs hinderingpreventive behaviors and low sensitivity), perceived threat to personal and familial conditions (lossof peace and loss of occupational‑familial positions), and threat to health (incurable disease andperceived skin disease).CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of these factors helps planners to choose the best preventive strategieswith a focus on correcting beliefs and promoting protective behaviors as well as examining andscreening sailors regularly to diagnose skin cancer. Moreover, to develop practical measures ofprotective strategies against sunlight among sailors, the required steps should be taken. This canhelp to reduce the rate of work‑related risks while exposed to sunlight in this population.
