Are the Fitzpatrick Skin Phototypes Valid for Cancer Risk Assessment in a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Sample of Women?

Are the Fitzpatrick Skin Phototypes Valid for Cancer Risk Assessment in a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Sample of Women? Ethn Dis. 2019;29(3):505-512 Authors: Sommers MS, Fargo JD, Regueira Y, Brown KM, Beacham BL, Perfetti AR, Everett JS, Margolis DJ Abstract The Fitzpatrick Skin Phototypes (FSP) were developed to classify skin color and response to ultraviolet radiation. FSP are used clinically to assess risk for sunburn and skin cancer. Our aim was to determine the criterion-related validity of self-reported FSP when compared with skin color and sunburn history, controlling for age, race/ethnicity, and seasonality/geography. We performed a secondary analysis of data (N=466) from an observational study. The racial/ethnic composition of the sample was 45% White/White Hispanic (WWH), 40% Black/Black Hispanic (BBH), and 15% Other Identities. Outcome measures were self-reported FSP and sunburn history, as well as physiological measures of skin color (L* lightness/darkness, a* redness/greenness, b* yellowness/blueness). Correlation between FSP and L* was -.77 (95% CI -.81, -.73; P<.001). Although 60% of the variance in FSP was accounted for by L* values for the entire sample, only 5% of the variance was accounted for among BBH participants (r=-.23), and up to 30% for WWH/Other Identity participants (r=-.48 and -.52). Multiple regression analysis indicated L* and b* values, sunburn history, and race/ethnicity, but not geography/sea...
Source: Ethnicity and Disease - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Ethn Dis Source Type: research