Farmers could benefit from skin cancer research results published in Journal of Agromedicine

MARSHFIELD — Marshfield Clinic researchers have identified unique characteristics of farmers that can assist providers in caring for this population and also guide development of skin cancer awareness, prevention, and screening initiatives.

Dermatologists Dr. Alexandra Carley and Dr. Erik Stratman used data collected during skin cancer screenings conducted at the 2011 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days in Marshfield. A total of 476 people participated in the study, including 194 farmers. They were surveyed for self-reported sun protection use, sun exposure, and skin cancer and sun protection beliefs and knowledge. Results are published in the current issue of the Journal of Agromedicine, Volume 20, Issue 2.

The screening was sponsored and organized by the National Farm Medicine Center, part of the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation. The Farm Center also edits the Journal.

“Farmers have high levels of sun exposure and increased risk of skin cancer,” Carley said. “Although most farmers understand their risk and believe sun-protective behaviors reduce skin cancer risk, most do not routinely use adequate sun protection. Our goal was to identify factors that distinguish the farming population from the non-farming population.”

Key findings include:

—Only 23 percent of farmers who reported using sunscreen used it “always” or “frequently” when out in the sun 15 minutes or more.

—Thirty-four percent of farmers and 22 percent of non-farmers were referred for additional evaluation due to identification of a concerning lesion at the screening event.

—Common barriers to sun protection included discomfort with wearing long pants and long shirts, forgetfulness with sunscreen use, and inconvenience with wearing wide-brimmed hats.

For information on how to reduce skin cancer risk and tips on other safety and health topics, go to Harvesting Health.

National Farm Medicine Center skin cancer screenings continued at 2014 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days and the 2015 Wisconsin State Cranberry Association winter meeting. Screenings are made possible through philanthropic support from the Auction of Champions Fund a Need program.