Özet:

Introduction: It is important for individuals to display the sun protection behaviors from childhood to prevent skin cancer. It is beneficial to determine the self-efficacy that is effective in all stages of health behavior changes in showing these behaviors. Aim: In this study, it was aimed to determine the effect of sun protection self-efficacy on sun protection behaviors of 8th grade students studying in a secondary school. Methods: This descriptive study was carried out with the 8th grade students of a secondary school in Ankara. The sample of the research was composed of 215 eighth grade students. The data were collected using the introductory information form, the Sun Protection Behavior Scale (SPBS) and the Sun Protection Self-Efficacy Scale (SPSES). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearsman’s Correlation. Results: The average age of the students participating in the study is 14.0±0.50 years and 45.1% of them are girls. A statistically significant difference was found between the total scores of the Sun Protection Behavior Scale and the Sun Protection Self-Efficacy Scale and the gender (p<0.05). In addition, a statistically significant difference was found between the use of sunscreen cream subscale of both scales and the gender of the students (p<0.05). The total mean scores of male students in both scales (SPBS=20.00; SPSES =22.50) were found to be lower than female students (SPBS=22.00; SPSES=25.00). A moderately significant positive correlation was found between the Sun Protection Behavior Scale and the total score of the Sun Protection Self-Efficacy Scale (rho = 0.503, p<0.001). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, a positive relationship was found between the students' SPBS and SPSS scores and it has been determined that those who show sun protection behavior have self-efficacy in this regard. In addition, it was found that male students' sun protection behavior and self-efficacy scores were lower than female students. It is thought that planning the health trainings of nurses for protection from the sun against harmful rays of the sun and supporting the participation of especially male students in the planned trainings will be beneficial for increasing the self-efficacy of the students in sun protection.

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