With the start of summer and with the festive season on our doorstep, 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.
The company says the TAL SpotChecker, which is now in its seventh year, 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.”
It notes the incidence of skin cancer in Australia remains high with two in three Australians diagnosed with some form of skin cancer by the age of 70, according to the Cancer Council of Australia’s Understanding Skin Cancer guide.
The insurer says the Cancer Council recommends adults check their own skin every three months and TAL’s research shows self-checking has declined in recent years. TAL’s research found the number of people who self-check their skin every two to three months decreased from 16% in 2018 to 14% in 2022.
It adds that its research 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 one in four (23%) never examine their skin for signs of skin cancer.
Alex Homer, TAL Chief Customer and Brand Officer, says the company has 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.”
However, he says, 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, says that in addition to being more sun safe ”…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.”
She says 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.”
The 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 across the country.
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