We all like to enjoy the sun, but there is a dark side to it: more than half of cancer diagnoses in the Netherlands involve skin cancer and one in five people will get skin cancer. Two alarming statistics – but thankfully, not all hope is lost!
In fact, most cases of skin cancer are preventable. But what role should the government play? Sander Boxebeld (ESHPM), Niek Mouter (TU Delft) and Job van Exel (ESHPM) looked into this with support from the Pieter Dedert Fund, a named fund of the Erasmus Trust Fund.
In their study, they presented different scenarios of possible government measures to residents of the Netherlands, Austria and Spain in a choice experiment. The possible measures included information campaigns, banning tanning beds and/or tanning studios, and making sunscreen more affordable. The researchers asked participants about their preferences.
Their conclusion? In all three countries, there was broad support for government measures to help reduce skin cancer. Especially lowering the price of sunscreen and running information campaigns were rated highly, whereas measures such as banning sunbeds and tanning salons received little support. Furthermore, respondents considered it especially important that government measures did not lead to a tax increase. With this in mind, it is best for the government to take measures that cost little money or cover the necessary expenditure by other means.
While this study focused on average preferences and comparing the three countries, it is planned to further explore differences in preferences in the near future. Thus, the data collected can also be used to study the relationship between participants' preferences and their characteristics and behaviours, as well as their reasoning for the choices made.
About the Erasmus Trust Fund
The Erasmus Trust Fund, founded in 1913, is the support fund of Erasmus University Rotterdam. The fund actively contributes to the university’s role in society by creating an independent additional income stream through endowments. It is abundantly clear that ESHPM and its alumni in the field play an important role in solving the challenges of our time. To highlight this, a special faculty fund has been set up.
Click on the links for more information about the Erasmus Trust Fund and our faculty fund.
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