Australian life insurer TAL has launched the TAL SpotChecker 2022, a national skin safety awareness program designed to help Australians understand how to self-check their skin and access professional skin checks.
Skin cancer cases in Australia remain 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.
Now in its seventh year, TAL’s program promotes the significance of skin safety, preventative health screening, and early detection for overall health and wellbeing.
Commenting on the TAL SpotChecker 2022, chief customer and brand officer Alex Homer 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.”
The Cancer Council of Australia advises adults to check their skin every three months. However, TAL’s research found that self-checking has declined in recent years, with the number of people self-checking their skin every two to three months having decreased from 16% in 2018 to 14% in 2022.
The insurer further found that 72% of Australians would feel more confident in their protection against skin cancer if they self-checked their skin regularly; however, close to one in four (23%) never examine their skin for signs of skin cancer.
Dr. Priya Chagan, general manager of health services at TAL, commented: “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.
“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.”
TAL is one of Australia’s leading life insurance specialists, making it to the top five life insurers with the highest total revenue for the 12 months ended June 2022. Over the past seven years, it has delivered 4,700 free professional skin checks to the Australian community. Visit www.tal.com.au/tal-spotchecker for more information and resources and to book a skin check at your local GP.
