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Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards Sunscreen use among a sample of school adolescents in Erbil city: A cross-sectional study

Wshyar Ibrahim Abdalla
Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
Yasin Ahmed Asaad
Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Wshyar Ibrahim Abdalla, Yasin Ahmed Asaad (Author)

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Abstract

Background and objective: Adolescents are vulnerable to the risks of radiation, yet sunscreen use among this group remains inconsistent globally. This study aims to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding sunscreen use among adolescents in Erbil city

Methods: The study was conducted in Erbil City, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, from 27th October 2024 to 11th May 2025. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 students selected from ten public and private primary and high schools. Data were collected through a self- administered questionnaire. SPSS version 27 was used for the purpose of data analysis. Participants were chosen using stratified random sampling.

Results: Age of the participants ranged from 13-18 years with a mean ± SD of 15.395 ± 1.397 years, 48.2% of the participants reported using sunscreen, 45.2% of the participants applied it once a day, and 32.5% of the participants reporting that their parents influenced their sunscreen use, followed by media.

There was highly statistical significant association (P = 0.001) between age groups of the participants to their knowledge, attitudes, practices, showed that that the age group (15 years and less) had higher (KAP) than the age group (16 years and more).

Conclusion: The findings highlight a gap in knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning sunscreen use. Educational interventions as school based educational sessions, age and gender-based orientation sessions are recommended to address these gaps by improving knowledge of proper sunscreen practices and correcting misconceptions.

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How to Cite
Abdalla, W. I. ., & Ahmed Asaad, Y. (2026). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards Sunscreen use among a sample of school adolescents in Erbil city: A cross-sectional study . Zanco Journal of Medical Sciences (ZJMS), 30(1), 59–69. https://doi.org/10.15218/zjms.2026.005

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