Sun Protection Up, But Sunburns Not Down

A presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Preventive Oncology revealed that sun protective measures became more common between 2000 and 2010. However, a corresponding decrease in sunburns was not observed, according to an analysis of national data. Overall among women, staying in the shade, using sunscreen, and wearing clothing to the ankles increased significantly over time by 5%, 6%, and 5%, respectively, between 2000 and 2010. Similarly, among men, staying in the shade, sunscreen use, and wearing clothing to the ankles increased by 7%, 2%, and 5%, respectively. However, the overall prevalence of sunburn did not change significantly over those years. In 2010, 51% of women and 49% of men reported having at least one sunburn in the past year. Researchers believe that by continuing to create environments that support protective behaviors and by changing social norms regarding tanning and tanned skin will ultimately have an impact on the rates skin cancer development.