Structured interview: Sun-bathing
The following Paper 3 looks at the optimism bias in health behaviour related to sunbathing among Swedes. Although the original study was a questionnaire, the study below is described as a structured interview. You will find sample responses at the end of the text.
I have used this Paper 3 as part of our study of determinants of health. You will see this as part of the Determinants of Health lesson plan 1.3.
The Stimulus Piece
The incidence of skin cancer has had a rapid increase in Sweden over the last 20 years. Sun exposure is an important preventable risk factor for skin cancer. The perception of one’s own susceptibility to harm is essential in theories about self-protective behaviour. The aim of the study was to examine the associations between different risk perceptions, sun-related behaviour, readiness to change, and optimism bias.
A total of 722 visitors of a mobile skin cancer-screening unit took part in a structured interview in the summer of 2001. The campaign was conducted at five different locations in Sweden. The mean age was 46 years (min = 16, max = 84, SD = 17.0). 61% were women and 39% were men.
The interview measured the frequency of sunbathing, risk perception, judgment of personal ability to protect oneself from developing skin cancer, and readiness to change sunbathing behaviour.
The participants in this study seemed to have realistic beliefs about the contribution of solar radiation to the risk of developing skin cancer; however, they seriously underestimated skin cancer incidence in the population and the impact of skin cancer on general health. About 90% of both men and women of all ages underestimated the incidence of skin cancer in the population.
85% of the sample did not intend to stop sunbathing. Men seemed to be more optimistic about their chances of not getting skin cancer despite the fact that they are much more likely than women to be diagnosed with a malignant skin tumour. This could be a result of an unclear risk perception concerning sun exposure. The optimism among men could be due to a belief that sunbathing is a risk factor for skin cancer but sun exposure during other activities is not.
People concerned about skin cancer seem to be aware of the fact that sun exposure is an important risk factor for skin cancer, but they fail to use this information in a consistent way to formulate a judgment of their own vulnerability to harm. People need to be informed about the high incidence of skin cancer, the personal risk factors of skin cancer, and the fact that unintentional as well as intentional sun exposure increases the risk of developing skin cancer
Richard Bränström, Sveinbjörn Kristjansson, Henrik Ullén; Risk perception, optimistic bias, and readiness to change sun-related behaviour, European Journal of Public Health, Volume 16, Issue 5, 1 October 2006, Pages 492–497, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki193
Questions
1a. Identify the method used and outline two characteristics of the method.
1b. Describe the sampling method used in the study.
1c. Suggest an alternative or additional research method giving one reason for your choice.
2. Describe the ethical considerations that were applied in the study and explain if further ethical considerations could be applied.
3. Discuss how a researcher could ensure that the results of the study are credible.