Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Skin Cancer: An Assessment of Patient Risk Factors, Knowledge, and Skin Practices

Table 1

Categorized questions and answers for skin cancer variables (skin cancer prevention, awareness, knowledge, skin protection, and sun exposure).

(a) Skin cancer prevention

Questions addressed	Answers (%)
	Very unlikely	Unlikely	Neutral	Likely	Very likely
How likely are you to visit a doctor if you noticed a new mole?	3.1	14.7	21.5	33.1	27.6
How likely are you to ignore a new mole?	1.9	16.0	22.2	29.0	30.9
How likely are you to check your own skin for moles?	7.5	14.4	23.8	36.3	18.1
If you found a new mole, how likely are you to see your primary care doctor right away?	32.7	37.7	19.1	5.6	4.9
If you found a new mole, how likely are you to see a dermatologist right away?	12.8	23.2	17.7	22.0	24.4
If you found a new mole, how likely are you to tell a family member or friend?	14.0	15.9	16.5	34.8	18.9
If you found a new mole, how likely are you to bring it up at your next doctor’s appointment?	5.6	11.7	9.9	40.7	32.1

(b) Skin cancer awareness

Questions addressed	Answers (%)
How worried would you be if a mole	Not at all worried (1) through very worried (5)
	1	2	3	4	5
Had irregular borders	4.9	6.1	17.1	29.9	42.1
Was asymmetric	6.1	6.7	18.4	30.7	38.0
Had 2 or more colors	2.5	3.7	13.0	28.0	52.8
Is greater than 6 mm in diameter	1.2	2.5	16.0	25.8	54.6
Grew in size	1.8	0.6	8.0	23.3	66.3
Is painful	1.8	1.2	5.5	22.7	68.7
Itches	1.2	3.0	17.7	23.2	54.9
Bleeds	1.2	0.6	6.7	20.9	70.6
Which of the following factors increase melanoma risk?	Percent ( = # of responses)
None	0% (0)
Having lots of moles	46% (76)
Particular diets	10% (17)
Family history of skin cancer	77% (126)
Fair complexion	70% (114)
Alcohol use	9% (14)
Sunburns	80% (131)
Prolonged sun exposure	79% (130)
Smoking	30% (50)
Blue eyes	26% (42)
Green eyes	13% (22)
Red hair	26% (42)
Fair hair	29% (47)
Immunosuppression	58% (95)
All of the above	24% (40)

(c) Skin cancer knowledge

Questions addressed	Answers (%)
	True	False
Skin cancer risk can be minimized by avoiding sun and using adequate sun protection	97.0	3.0
Skin cancer can be healed without treatment	1.8	98.2
Skin cancer can be cured if treated early	7.3	92.7
Skin cancer can lead to death if not treated	1.2	98.8

(d) Skin protection

Questions addressed	Answers (%)
	Never	Rarely	Occasionally	Frequently	Always
I use sunscreen if I am going to be outside for more than 20 minutes	4.9	18.3	31.1	28.7	17.1
I use SPF 30 or higher	4.3	9.3	18.0	29.8	38.5
I use sunscreen if it is cloudy outside	28.4	28.4	24.1	14.8	4.3
I reapply sunscreen after swimming or heavily perspiring	13.5	16.0	25.8	27.6	17.2
I use sunscreen while on vacation or holiday	3.0	6.7	17.7	37.2	35.4
I wear protective clothing in the sun	9.9	19.3	40.4	25.5	5.0
I use an umbrella to protect me from the sun	57.7	22.1	11.7	5.5	3.1
I wear a hat outside	20.5	19.3	36.0	18.0	6.2

(e) Sun exposure

Questions addressed	Answers (%)
	Never	Rarely	Occasionally	Frequently	Always
I spend more time outdoors than indoors	69.3	18.4	6.7	3.7	1.8
I try to get a suntan when outside	4.3	14.0	29.9	28.0	23.8
I spend a lot of time outdoors due to my occupation	1.3	10.0	42.5	35.0	11.3
	0		1-2	3-4	>5
How many sunny/beach/outdoor vacations have you been on in the last 5 years?	15.5		44.0	40.5	0.0
	Never			Current/prior use
Have you ever used a tanning bed?	59.1			40.9
	<10	10–25	25–50	50–100	>100
How many times have you used a tanning bed?	78.7	4.3	4.9	12.2	0.0