Prevalence of skin bleaching and its associated factors among young adults in Ghana

Introduction Skin bleaching is a common practice among people of all ages and genders and constitutes a major public health challenge because of the associated dermatological effects, including skin cancer. The study determined the prevalence of skin bleaching and the type of products used for bleaching and associated factors among young adults in Ghana. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study design with quantitative approach was used to study 319 respondents using the consecutive sampling method. The data was analyzed descriptively and inferentially using chi-squared test and logistic regression. A conventional p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The respondents were aged 17–30 years with mean age of 23.1 (SD: 3.4) years. Females had the highest representation (50.2%). The prevalence of skin bleaching was 26.3%. Reasons attributed to skin bleaching included: enhance beauty and healthy skin (97.6%), boost self-esteem (78.6%), and treatment of skin disorders (77.4%). There were significant differences between skin bleaching and gender (p=0.006), marital status (p<0.001), skin complexion (p=0.04), where someone grew up (p<0.001), education level (p=0.002), average monthly income (p<0.001), and occupation (p<0.001). The study found being single (adjusted odds ratios, AOR=10.4; 95% CI: 3.30–33.00), fair in complexion (AOR=4.9; 95% CI: 2.22–10.72), rural settling (AOR=0.14; 95% CI: 0.07–0.29), unemployed (AOR=3.15; 95% CI: 1.27–7.63) and no formal education (AOR=3.2; 95% CI: 1.25–8.29) to be the most significant predictors for skin bleaching. Conclusions The use of skin bleaching products was fairly high among respondents with marital status, complexion, location, employment and education level as the most important predictors. The study findings highlight the need for continued enforcement of the ban on the use of skin bleaching products and public health educational interventions on the harmful effects of skin bleaching.