" There is an idea among Hispanics that ' People like me don ' t get skin cancer ,' " saysDr . Elliot J . Coups , a researcher and resident member at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey . " It ' s true that they ' re at lower risk , but they ' re still at some risk — it ' s not zero risk . Hispanic individuals can be diagnosed with skin cancer ." The lifetime risk for being diagnosed with melanoma , the deadliest form of skin cancer , is just 0.5 percent for Hispanics , compared to 2.4 percent in non-Hispanic whites and 0.1 percent in blacks , according to the American Cancer Society . But 26 percent of Hispanic patients with melanoma aren ' t diagnosed until the cancer has progressed to the late stages , compared to 16 percent of white patients . That vastly increases their risk of death . It ' s not because people from Latin American countries don ' t realize they need to protect themselves from the sun , Coups says . Instead , his research has found the opposite – that as Hispanic people assimilate to mainstream U . S . culture , they ' re more likely to put themselves at risk , with behaviors including lower use of sunscreen and sunprotective clothing .
Add that to the fact that the vast majority of public health campaigns link skin cancer risk to skin tone , and it ' s no wonder many Hispanics think they needn ' t worry , saysJennifer Hay , a behavioral scientist and clinical health psychologist who treats melanoma patients at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City . In 2014 , Hay and her colleagues looked at skin cancer education practices in Albuquerque , N . M ., where 40 percent of the city ' s population self-identifies as Hispanic . She found that U . S . -born Hispanics were more likely than non- Hispanic whites to report misconceptions like , " People with skin cancer would have pain or other symptoms prior to diagnosis ." They were less likely to have gotten skin-cancer screening from a physician and less likely to wear sun-protective clothing , but as likely to use sunscreen and seek shade as were non-Hispanic whites .
There needs to be an increase in culturally relevant skin cancer prevention campaigns that target ethnic minorities , Hays says . Her current research , conducted in Spanish Harlem in New York City , has found that people do want information on preventing skin cancer .
" What we found is that people are really receptive to this kind of information , but they have not had the kind of access to it that we would like to see ," says Hay . " That behooves us as public health researchers to find vehicles and channels to get this information out to more populations who could benefit from it ."
That ' s not to say that skin tone doesn ' t matter ; lighter-skinned people still do face a greater risk . " Latinos have a wide range of skin types ," says Hay . " That range of skin type is much more important than whether one self-identifies as Latino or Hispanic . You can self-identify as Latino and still have very light skin ."
But Dr . Henry W . Lim , chairman of dermatology at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit , says everyone , no matter their skin tone , should practice sun safety . " We should go out and enjoy outdoor activities , but we should try to seek shade and we should wear appropriate clothing to cover up ," he says .
Ellie Hartleb is a freelance writer based in Washington , D . C .
Wear Sunscreen when out in your Community Garden .
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