More than half of young adults(18-29) interviewed, and 65% of whites, reported at least one sunburn in the last 12 months. The CDC along with the National Cancer Institute analyzed data from The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which is an annual, cross-sectional survey of the civilian, non-institutionalized U.S. population.

While use of sunscreen products, moving to the shade, as well as wearing long clothing and hats appears to be on the increase, there still seems to be more work to do in terms of public awareness about the dangers of sun, and sun exposure. Preventing sunburn and long-term sun damage to the skin goes a long way to preventing skin cancer.

Researchers looked at NHIS data from 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2010. A part of the survey questioned people about their sun exposure, asking how often people preferred to stay in the shade, if they wear a wide brimmed hat, wear long sleeved shirt, use sunscreen when outdoors. People were also asked what SPF level of sunscreen they used.

From 2005, the survey began to gather additional information about people preferences regarding long clothes, what SPF they used (1-14 or 15-50), sun visors or baseball cap style hats, which do not provide as much protection as wide brimmed hats.

Women seemed more active in using sunscreen, coming in at 37%, with only 32% of men using the products. Staying in the shade was the next most common way of avoiding sun exposure, with 30% of women and 20-25% of men saying they go into the shade to protect from direct sunlight. Wearing long clothing was more popular amongst men, with around 30% reporting clothing to the ankles, against only 21-25% of women. White women seemed less likely to use the shade, while black women were less likely to use sunscreen.



Frequency of sunburn during a lifetime is linked to skin cancer risk

Overall, sun exposure and apparent awareness to sun exposure dangers appears to increase from 2000 to 2010. Both men and women came in about the same in terms of sunburn, with approximately 50% reporting a burn in the last 12 months. Black individuals came in lowest at just over 10% and whites highest at 65%.

The CDC is concerned about sun exposure, which increases skin cancer risk. Both the deadlier form of the disease called Melanoma and the less aggressive types of skin tumors, known as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, can cause disfigurement, affect quality of life, and create an economic burden. Different patterns of sun exposure are associated with different types of skin cancer.

More continuous, chronic sun exposure, for example when someone works outdoors, is associated with squamous cell carcinoma. Intermittent exposure, such as recreational exposure, is associated with melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. Sunburn typically occurs after intermittent exposure, and the risk for melanoma increases as more sunburns occur during a person’s lifetime.

With the relatively high number of sunburns and the prevalent use of tanning salons, the CDC is concerned that there is an epidemic in the making, with younger people not being aware of the dangers and setting themselves up as a generation of skin cancer when they hit retirement age. A similar example might be the baby boomer generation who were not aware of the dangers of smoking tobacco; tobacco smoking was absolutely acceptable in the 60s and 70s, when people smoked at work, in restrooms and even in elevators.

The CDC hopes that by collecting data and analyzing people’s habits, it can in the future better focus public information campaigns, and make people more aware of skin cancer.

Written by Rupert Shepherd