ABSTRACT
Objective To survey the knowledge of the Urumqi population in Xinjiang on the awareness and the protection of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation.Methods Three hundred and twentyfour subjects from Urumqi were investigated with a questionnaire about the basic knowledge of UV,the UV protection methods,the awareness and application of sunscreens,and the channels through which they acquired the knowledge.Results A total of 324 subjects completed the questionnaire.Only 78.0％ knew the harmful effects of UV,62.0％ of them knew that UV could lead to skin photo-aging,and 54.9％ knew that UV irradiation could cause skin cancer.Sunscreens were the main choice for UV protection (58.0％).Regarding sunscreens,38.3％ subjects knew the meaning of SPF,and only a small percentage of subjects (17.3％) were aware of the meaning of PA.About 25.3％ of subjects applied sunscreens every day,43.2％ used sunscreens sometimes,and 18.5％ did not use it at all.The main factor of choosing sunscreens was brand popularity and the main information sources to get the knowledge of UV and UV protection were TV advertisements.Conclusions This study shows that the knowledge of UV and UV protection of the Urumqi population is acceptable,but the protections are insufficient,which should be strengthened and guided through dermatologists and multiple media.