Knowledge, attitudes and practices about sun exposure and photoprotection in outpatients attending dermatology clinics at four hospitals in Lima, Peru

background: to establish the knowledge, about sun exposure and photoprotection in outpatients treated at the dermatology clinics in four hospitals in lima, peru. material and methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted involving a sample of 364 patients selected using a systematic random sampling process in the four participating hospitals. the selected patients were interviewed to determine their knowledge, behavior and practices in relation to sun exposure and photoprotection. the chi-square test was used to identify any significant differences between knowledge and practices. results: the mean age of the patients in this sample was 45.1 ± 21.4 years. of the 364 patients, 55.9% were women and 54.8% had skin phototype iv. the principal risks related to sun exposure were skin cancer (80.5%) and sunburn (77.8%). knowledge regarding sun protection was more evident in individuals with university/college education (p<0.001). in addition, 78.9% of the individuals reported that they knew about photo-protectors and 52.3% stated that they used them regularly. in general, women were more knowledgeable regarding sun protection (p=0.001). of the total number of users of photoprotection, 38.4% used these products daily, while 61.6% used them only occasionally. the use of photo-protectors differed significantly in accordance with the individual's education level (p<0.001). in the majority of cases there was a statistically significant difference between knowledge and practice with respect to solar protection. conclusions: the level of awareness of the outpatients treated at the dermatology clinics in these four hospitals in lima, peru about the risks of sun exposure is acceptable; however, a large proportion fail to incorporate regular solar protection as a practice in their daily life.