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AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY 2015 SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS
Although the back is the most common location for melanoma, some people
don’t take steps to protect their back from the sun.
 According to the survey, 37 percent of people rarely or never apply sunscreen to
their back when it’s exposed to the sun.
 Forty-three percent of respondents rarely or never ask someone else to help them
apply sunscreen to their back.
 If no one else were around to help them apply sunscreen, 14 percent of respondents
would not take any action, like seeking shade or wearing protective clothing, to
protect their back from the sun.
Men are less likely than women to use sunscreen on their back or ask someone
else to help them apply sunscreen.
 According to the survey, 40 percent of men rarely or never apply sunscreen to their
back (compared to 33 percent of women), and 47 percent of men rarely or never ask
someone else to help them apply sunscreen (compared to 40 percent of women).
 Men were twice as likely as women to report that they wouldn’t feel comfortable
asking anyone to apply sunscreen to their back (10 percent versus 5 percent,
respectively).
Many people do not regularly check their skin for signs of skin cancer.
 While 57 percent of respondents know how to perform a skin self-exam, only 50
percent do so at least once a year.
 Fifty-one percent of men and 35 percent of women reported that they don’t know
how to perform a skin self-exam.
Although the back is the most common location for melanoma, the majority of
people don’t regularly check their backs for signs of skin cancer.
 Only 36 percent of people examine their backs for signs of skin cancer at least once
a year.
 Only 35 percent of people ask someone else to help them examine hard-to-see
areas of their skin.
About the Academy’s Survey
The survey was conducted by Relevant Research Inc. of Chicago from Jan. 12 to 15, 2015. A total of
1,019 respondents completed the online survey. Data were weighted by sex, age, race/ethnicity and
income according to the 2013 U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for adults ages 18-64.
The margin of sampling error at the 95 percent confidence level is ± 3.1 percent.