Hobby athletes ignorant of skin cancer risks

Switzerland has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in Europe, along with Scandinavian countries. Researchers in Bern have found out that joggers and young men in particular are insufficiently informed about the risks.  Skin tumours have increased in recent years, and this trend is expected to continue, according to a team led by Patrick Antony Oberholzer at Bern University Hospital.  The reasons are changing lifestyles and higher ultra-violet radiation (UVR) exposure, with outdoor sport playing a large role, the authors wrote in the scientific journal Swiss Medical Weekly.  In order to assess UVR protection and skin cancer awareness among recreational athletes, the researchers surveyed runners aged over 18 taking part in the Grand Prix of Bern – the largest running event in Switzerland, with more than 30,000 entrants.  The survey consisted of questions about the participants’ ­personal characteristics, such as age, gender, educational ­attainment, skin type, ...