Dump ‘Slip Slop Slap’ campaign, expert says

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The Slip, Slop, Slap campaign doesn't work and should be dumped, a dermatologist says. Source: News Limited

THE famous 'Slip, Slop, Slap' skin cancer campaign has failed and should be dumped, a dermatologist claims.

The Cancer Council immediately dismissed the criticism as 'one author's opinion' — but conceded he was correct in noting their statistics hailing it a success do not take into account Australia's changing ethnic mix.

Dr Douglas Czarnecki says figures used to support the campaign's success are skewed and the campaign is further compromised by "vested interests" seeking funding grants.

Immigration by dark-skinned migrants and their subsequent children has not been taken into account in the data, and a more effective campaign would be to warn young people about the dangers of wrinkles, he said.

Dr Czarnecki has had research published in a dermatology journal challenging reports that the incidence of melanoma is decreasing in the young Australian population.

The Melbourne dermatologist said the increase in migrants regarded as at low risk of skin cancer means data comparing melanoma rates in the early 1980s with now is not comparing like with like.

Low-risk people are defined as those born in Asia, the Pacific Islands, the Middle East or sub-Saharan Africa, or had parents born in these regions, he said.

"There was a significant increase in the number of young Australians at low risk for melanoma in the past 30 years," Dr Czarnecki said, citing Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

"If these people are not included when calculating the crude rate of melanoma, the rate increased from 5.9 per 100,000 in 1982 to 6.3 in 2009.

"If the estimated number of young Maoris and young Aborigines is excluded from the susceptible population, the crude rate increased from 6.0 per 100,000 in 1982 to 6.8 in 2009."

Dr Czarnecki noted immigration data shows country of origin but not ethnicity.

"The Slip, Slop, Slap campaign is flawed and it should not be continued," he told The Advertiser.

"It is being promoted by vested interests who use its claimed success to seek funding.

"I deal with patients, and while most have vaguely heard of it they don't know what it actually means — they might use sunscreen but they won't wear unfashionable clothing and don't want to wear hats because it messes up their hair.

"A much more effective campaign, backed by research here and among US college students, would be to show young people that sunscreen and sun protection stops wrinkles — it should focus on people's vanity because that works."

Cancer Council Australia public health committee chair Craig Sinclair said Slip, Slop, Slap had been a remarkable success in changing behaviour.

"We now have an entire generation of parents looking after their children based on the messages from the campaign," he said.

"This is just one author's opinion — there are many others who regard the campaign as a huge success in reducing skin cancer rates in younger people."

Mr Sinclair agreed there had been a substantial increase in immigrants at low risk of skin cancer due to dark skin but said these figures were not statistically significant.

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