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Sunscreen Increasingly Overshadows Alternative Sun-Protection Strategies

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Abstract

The present study assessed perceptions of effective sun-protection strategies among the general public and whether these perceptions have changed in recent years. During five summers from 2007/2008 to 2011/2012, 4217 adolescents and adults living in a region with very high levels of solar UV radiation participated in annual, cross-sectional telephone surveys. Respondents’ perceptions of the most effective sun-protection strategy were measured with a single open-ended question. In all survey years, sunscreen was the by far most frequently nominated sun-protection strategy, with an average mention rate of 71.0 %. The tendency to nominate sunscreen increased significantly over the 5-year study period and on average, was more common among adolescents compared to adults (81.6 vs 60.0 %) and females compared to males (73.6 vs 68.3 %). Despite respondents’ increasing tendency to nominate sunscreen as the most effective sun-protection strategy, health experts have voiced concerns about flawed application practices. Current sun-protection hierarchies indicate that protective clothing and shade are better options.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western Australian Cancer Prevention Research Unit (WACPRU), School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia

    Severine Koch, Simone Pettigrew & Terry Slevin

  2. Cancer Council Western Australia, Bagot Road, Subiaco, WA, 6008, Australia

    Severine Koch, Mark Strickland, Terry Slevin & Carolyn Minto

Authors
  1. Severine Koch
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  2. Simone Pettigrew
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  3. Mark Strickland
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  4. Terry Slevin
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  5. Carolyn Minto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Severine Koch.

Ethics declarations

The study received approval from the Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee.

Funding

The Cancer Council Western Australia is funded by the Western Australian Department of Health to deliver and evaluate the SunSmart health promotion campaign.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Koch, S., Pettigrew, S., Strickland, M. et al. Sunscreen Increasingly Overshadows Alternative Sun-Protection Strategies. J Canc Educ 32, 528–531 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-016-0986-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-016-0986-5

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