Knowledge, perceptions, practices, and health risk awareness of African Basotho women towards skin lightening products: a cross-sectional survey

Introduction: the use of skin lightening products (SLPs) by women is poorly documented in Africa, with statistics from some countries entirely missing. This study assessed knowledge, perceptions, practices, factors associated with, and health risk awareness of African Basotho women towards SLPs. Methods: this was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study based on convenience of females in secondary/high schools, universities, factories and business offices in Maseru City, Lesotho. Analysis of the differences in knowledge (adequate >= 50% score), perceptions, and practices between four participant groups was based on ANOVA, p<0.05. Associations between sociodemographic variables and the use of SLPs were performed using logistic regression model in SPSS version 27. Results: a total of 468 participants out of 496 responders qualified for data analysis based on predefined data cleaning criteria. Knowledge about SLPs was adequate (78.2%, n=468). By proportion, the main sources of the SLPs were supermarkets (67.6%, n=183) and pharmacy stores (41.9%). About 43.7% (n=468) of the participants used SLPs, with the factory workers mostly associated with SLPs use (aOR: 2.91, 95% CI 1.15-7.40; p=0.02). The majority (53.4%, n=131) of users had inadequate knowledge about the link between skin lightening and skin problems. The most common reasons for use of SLPs were rash (pimples, blemishes) (43.9%, n=107), dry skin (41.1%) and skin reddening (33.6%). Conclusion: there was adequate knowledge and moderate practice of skin lightening among African Basotho women. Public awareness campaigns and strict regulations are required to address the problem of SLPs.