Seventh year of TAL’s national skin safety initiative helping raise community awareness about vital preventative health measures
2022 -Leading Australian life insurer, TAL, has launched TAL SpotChecker 2022 with the aim of promoting the importance of skin safety, preventative health screening and early detection for overall health and wellbeing.
Now in its seventh year, TAL SpotChecker is a national skin safety awareness program designed to help more Australians understand how to self-check their skin, as well as access professional skin checks.
The incidence of skin cancer in Australia remains high with 2 in 3 Australians diagnosed with some form of skin cancer by the age of 70, according to the Cancer Council of Australia’s Understanding Skin Cancer guide1.
The Cancer Council of Australia2 recommends adults check their own skin every three months and TAL’s research shows self-checking has declined in recent years. According to TAL research, the number of people who self-check their skin every 2-3 months decreased from 16% in 2018 to 14% in 2022.
TAL’s research3 found that 72% of Australians would feel more confident in their protection against skin cancer if they were self-checking their skin regularly, however close to 1 in 4 (23%) never examine their skin for signs of skin cancer.
Alex Homer, TAL Chief Customer and Brand Officer, said: “We have conducted this research over time to better understand behaviour and sentiment in the Australian community regarding skin safety. We combine this with our preventative health expertise at TAL to provide relevant support for our partners, customers, and the broader Australian community on this important health matter.
“But there’s still more work to do in raising awareness around skin cancer prevention. Through TAL SpotChecker, we will continue to help inform more Australians about the importance of prevention and early detection in achieving better health outcomes.”Dr Priya Chagan, TAL General Manager of Health Services, said: “In addition to being more sun safe, such as wearing sunscreen and covering up, it’s equally as important for people to get to know their skin and what looks normal for them by engaging in regular self-checking, in addition to professional skin checks where there is a concern.
“TAL’s 2022 research found that over two thirds (67%) admit they should be self-checking their skin more often. But with 64% saying they don’t know how to self-check their skin, it’s clear there’s still more to be done to support people in committing to skin safety.
“At TAL, we want all our customers to enjoy the very best of life, which is why we encourage them to be proactive about their health and why we are committed to preventative health programs such as TAL SpotChecker,” Dr Priya Chagan concluded.
TAL SpotChecker launched at Manly Beach on 3-4 December 2022 offering free skin checks to the community. Over the past seven years, TAL has delivered 4,700 free professional skin checks to the Australian community across the country.
Visit TAL SpotChecker for more information, resources and to book a skin check at your local GP. Through the online hub, TAL is aiming to help Australians be more skin-safe all year round.
-
The survey was conducted by Edentify Pty Ltd on behalf of TAL, in October 2022, with a nationally representative sample of 1,500 respondents in Australia aged 18-65+ years old.