Sun safety knowledge, practices and attitudes in rural Australian farmers: a cross-sectional study in Western New South Wales.

BACKGROUND: Rates of skin cancer in Australia are amongst the highest in the world, with Western New South Wales (NSW) exhibiting very high prevalence. There is a large proportion of outdoor workers, including farmers, in Western NSW who have high levels of sun exposure and hence are at greater risk of developing skin cancer. AIMS: To characterise the current sun safety practices of farmers in Western NSW and explore their knowledge, attitudes and perceived barriers towards sun safety and its implementation. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted using a self-directed questionnaire. Participants were recruited at field days held in Western NSW and through surveys distributed at general practices, local stores and online. Eligibility criteria were aged 18 years and over and currently working on a farm in the study region. RESULTS: Of the 144 participants, 89 (61.8%) were male with a mean age of 49 years. Knowledge of sun safety was relatively high with most questions answered correctly by greater than 80% of participants. Risk of developing skin cancer was underestimated in 58 (40.3%) participants. Of all participants, 89 (62.2%) identified one or more barriers to practicing sun safety. The most common barrier was forgetfulness in 62 (43.4%) participants. The identification of barriers was significantly associated with reduced engagement of sun safety practices (p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of sun safety among farmers was high. There was, however, underestimation of risk of developing skin cancer. Addressing perceived barriers to implementing sun safety could improve sun safety practices in this cohort.

Bariatric and Cosmetic Surgery in People with Eating Disorders.

Rates of eating disorders (EDs) are increasing in Australia, as are rates of bariatric and cosmetic surgery including weight-related procedures. It is known that binge eating disorder (BED) is common in bariatric surgery candidates and that people with EDs are likely to undergo weight-related cosmetic procedures, however, most of the literature is based on clinic samples and focuses on young women and BED. Aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of (1) actual or intended bariatric surgery and (2) actual or intended cosmetic surgery including weight-related procedures in people with a current ED and a lifetime history of BED or bulimia nervosa (BN), and the associations with actual or intended bariatric or cosmetic surgery and demographic features. Using a general population survey, 2977 individuals were interviewed regarding sociodemographic status, ED symptoms, mental health-related quality of life (MHRQoL) and actual or intended use of bariatric and cosmetic surgery, prevalence estimates of which were 2.0% and 1.1%, respectively. People who had planned or received either type of surgery were more likely to be (1) women and (2) have a higher BMI, (3) poorer MHRQoL and (4) a current ED, lifetime BN or BED or features of EDs (all p < 0.05). Age and household income were not significantly associated with increased use of either type of surgery. Given the potential for an ED to affect outcomes of surgery, screening and treatment for EDs should be considered in such surgical candidates.