Nationwide, 64.4% of high school students (67.9% of female students and 61.5% of male students) experienced one or more sunburns during the past 12 months. Almost half (49.1% overall, 46.4% of female students, and 52.0% of male students) had played on one or more sports teams during the past 12 months. Sports team participation was associated with higher sunburn prevalence overall (aPR, 1.2; 95% CI [1.2, 1.3]) and among female (aPR, 1.2; 95% CI [1.2, 1.3]) and male (aPR, 1.2; 95% CI [1.1, 1.3]) students (Table 1).

Each year, an estimated 6.1 million U.S. adults are treated for skin cancer at a cost of $8.9 billion (Kao et al., 2023), making skin cancer prevention an important public health priority (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). Skin cancer risk can be reduced by practices that limit sun exposure and help to prevent sunburn, such as the use of protective clothing, shade, and sunscreen when spending time outdoors (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). This study found that nationwide, nearly two-thirds of U.S. high school students had experienced a sunburn during the past year. Sunburn prevalence was higher among students who played on a school or community sports team compared to students who did not play on a sports team. Given the link between sunburn during adolescence and risk for skin cancer in adulthood (Dennis et al., 2008; Lashway et al., 2023), this finding highlights the importance of sun protection for student athletes.

Sports team participation has many potential benefits for adolescents, including feeling closer to people at school (Michael et al., 2023) and higher self-esteem and life satisfaction (Guddal et al., 2019), in addition to the many mental, physical, and cognitive health benefits that physical activity can provide for adolescents (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). Adequate sun protection during outdoor sports activities allows athletes to enjoy these benefits while avoiding overexposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun (Gilaberte et al., 2022).

Evidence-based organizational policies and practices offer strategies schools and community organizations can consider to help student athletes and nonathletes stay sun-safe during their participation in outdoor sporting activities. For example, the Guide to Community Preventive Services Task Force notes that “student-focused sun-protective environmental and policy changes include increasing the availability of sun-protective items (e.g., sunscreen or protective clothing); adding sun-protective features to the physical environment (e.g., shade structures); and implementing sun-protection policies (e.g., clothing guidelines, restrictions on outdoor activities during peak sunlight hours)” (The Community Guide, 2023).

Even with such guidance on potential interventions, outdoor sports create unique challenges to adequate sun protection. For example, staying in the shade is often not practical while playing certain outdoor sports. However, shade can be incorporated into outdoor spaces where players take water, food, and sunscreen breaks. Another potential barrier is that recommendations to wear protective clothing and wide-brimmed hats may be seen as counter to recommendations to prevent heat illness, potentially interfering with performance or not aligning with the traditional uniform for the given sport (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). New advances in ultraviolet-protective clothing may help to address some, but not all, of these concerns (Aguilera et al., 2014). Sunscreen may raise additional concerns among athletes, such as the potential for sunscreen on one’s hands to interfere with grip or other aspects of performance, concerns about skin reactions to sunscreen or the appearance of sunscreen on the skin (e.g., white cast), and perceptions among male athletes that sunscreen use is a “feminine” behavior (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). Additional research could explore opportunities to address these potential barriers to adequate sun protection during outdoor sports participation.

The prevalence of sunburn was higher among U.S. high school students who participated in sports teams compared to those who did not participate in sports teams. Given the association between sunburn and skin cancer risk, sunburn prevention is an important strategy for promoting lifetime skin health among student athletes. A variety of organizational policies and practices are available for consideration to help keep student athletes sun-safe and avoid increasing their skin cancer risk while allowing them to enjoy the many benefits of sports participation.