The Relationship Between Knowledge and Adherence to Sunscreen Use Among High School Students in Jakarta

Abstract

High UV index levels in Jakarta increase the risk of adverse effects on the skin of active teenagers in the school environment, making sunscreen protection essential. Consequently, research into the relationship between knowledge levels and compliance with sunscreen use among secondary school students is important. This study aims to analyse the relationship between knowledge levels and compliance with sunscreen use among high school students to prevent the adverse effects of UV radiation. This comparative non-experimental study employed a cross-sectional design with total sampling among 242 from 87 Senior High School Jakarta and Al-Azhar Islamic School 1 Jakarta. The relationship between the independent variable (knowledge) and the dependent variable (compliance) was analysed using the Chi-Square test. All statistical data processing was carried out using SPSS. This study results that respondents’ knowledge levels were categorised as good (41.7%), adequate (35.2%) and poor (23.1%), whilst compliance levels were dominated by the adequate category (44.7%), followed by poor (32.2%) and good (23.1%). In general, respondents have good knowledge but demonstrate only moderate compliance with sunscreen use. The Chi-Square test yielded a p-value of 0.000 (p < 0.05), indicating a significant association between knowledge levels and compliance with sunscreen use. The Spearman correlation test also demonstrated a strong correlation between knowledge and compliance, with a correlation coefficient of 0.710. This finding confirms that sunscreen knowledge has a positive, strong, and unidirectional relationship with compliance behavior.