P174 Variations in sun protection guidance issued by governments in countries with high and low skin cancer incidence

Abstract

Effective sun protection guidance is central to skin cancer prevention, with government-issued recommendations shaping population behaviours and national attitudes to sun safety. While international guidance exists, including from the World Health Organization (WHO), national recommendations vary in scope, detail and priorities. Comparing guidance across countries with differing skin cancer incidences may identify opportunities to strengthen prevention strategies. The aim of this study was to compare government-issued sun protection guidance between countries with high and low skin cancer incidence. A comparative review of government-issued sun protection guidance was conducted across 10 high-incidence and 10 low-incidence countries, selected using age-standardized incidence rates from GLOBOCAN 2022 (International Agency for Research on Cancer). Guidance was assessed using a framework informed by WHO core population-level recommendations. Additional categories addressing high-risk populations and key risk factors were included based on ultraviolet (UV) vulnerability. For each country and category, guidance was classified as ‘specific’, ‘some mention’ or ‘no mention’, and results were summarized as proportions. All high-incidence countries provided ‘specific’ guidance across core domains, while 80% of low-incidence countries lacked dedicated national guidance. Only 20% of low-incidence countries offered ‘specific’ protective advice, of which 10% included UV Index guidance. While all high-incidence countries provided ‘specific’ guidance for children, ‘specific’ guidance for other high-risk groups was limited: photosensitizing medication use (40%), personal history of skin cancer (10%) and family history of skin cancer (0%). All low-incidence countries had ‘no mention’ guidance for high-risk groups, except one country with ‘specific’ guidance for children (10%). ‘Specific’ guidance for sun bed use was universal in high-incidence countries but limited in low-incidence countries (10%). Government sun protection guidance varies between countries. While core preventive measures are commonly addressed, gaps remain for high-risk populations and key risk factors, even in high-incidence countries. These findings highlight opportunities to strengthen alignment with international recommendations to support more consistent government sun protection guidance.