Objective: The prevalence of skin cancer in North Queensland is among the highest in the world (Buettner & Rasch, 1998), yet comparably few individuals report deliberately sunbathing to get a tan. This might suggest that skin damage in this region is due to incidental exposure that is not planned or deliberate. While the theoretical frameworks which have been adopted in past research can account for planned behaviours such as deliberate tanning, such models may not be suited to predicting unplanned behaviour such as incidental sun exposure. Therefore, alternative frameworks need to be explored. The prototype willingness (PW) model is a dual-process model which has been useful in the prediction of behaviours that are considered unplanned or spontaneous such as binge drinking and drug abuse. The current study aims to explore whether the dual pathways of the PW model differentially predict deliberate and incidental sun exposing behaviours.
Methods: Community participants (n=218) from the North Queensland region completed a survey about their sun-related behaviours. Participants also responded to items that assessed standing on the PW model variables. Predictive modelling techniques were used to determine which of the model's proximal antecedents in each pathway was a better predictor of each type of exposure behaviour.
Results: When controlling for age, skin sensitivity and gender; behavioural intention was the sole predictor of deliberate sun exposure (p<.05). Incidental sun exposure was predicted by both behavioural intention and behavioural willingness (p's<.05). This indicates that while engaging in deliberate sun exposure may be a deliberative process, there may be a number of cognitive mechanisms influencing incidental sun exposure.
Conclusions: The current research provides support for the use of the PW model to explain variance across a range of sun-related behaviours, particularly incidental sun exposure. To date, skin cancer prevention efforts have focused on decreasing deliberate sun exposure. In North Queensland though, where the ambient ultra-violet radiation is high to extreme all year, incidental sun exposure may need to be targeted in order to reduce the prevalence of skin cancer. The current findings suggest that the PW model may be able to provide possible avenues for future health promotion activities to reduce incidental sun exposure in high risk regions
