Maryborough skin health survey: prevalence and sources of advice for skin conditions.

A computer-assisted telephone interview survey was carried out in the City of Maryborough to determine the prevalence and sources of advice for self-reported skin conditions. Of the 443 adults contacted, 416 (94%) agreed to participate in the study. One hundred and fourteen people (27%) reported having one or more skin conditions over the past 2 weeks, which included eczema/dermatitis 25.5% (range, 18.1-32.8%; 95% CI), warts 16.1% (9.8-22.4%), acne 16.2% (9.6-22.7%), cold sores 13.1% (7.3-18.9%) and tinea 11.2% (5.9-16.5%). Medical practitioners were the most common source of advice for 49% of skin conditions, followed by family and friends or self-prescribed (25%). Advice from a pharmacist was sought for 19% of skin conditions. Logistic regression analysis showed that those people who reported a moderate to severe inflammatory skin condition, such as dermatitis, urticaria or psoriasis, were most likely to seek advice from their medical practitioner. The type and severity of skin condition were factors which determined where a person sought advice on diagnosis and management.