Patterns of Sunscreen Use on the Face and Other Exposed Skin among US Adults

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Am Acad Dermatol
• Personal Author:
  Holman, Dawn M. ; Berkowitz, Zahava ; Guy, Gery P. ; Hawkins, Nikki A. ; Saraiya, Mona ; Watson, Meg
• Description:
  Background ; Sunscreen is a common form of sun protection, but little is known about patterns of use. ; Objective ; To assess patterns of sunscreen use on the face and other exposed skin among US adults. ; Methods ; Using cross-sectional data from the 2013 Summer ConsumerStyles survey (N= 4,033), we calculated descriptive statistics and adjusted risk ratios to identify characteristics associated with regular sunscreen use (always/most of the time when outside on a warm sunny day for 1+ hour). ; Results ; Few adults regularly used sunscreen on the face (men: 18.1%, 95% Confidence Interval CI: 15.8–20.6; women: 42.6%, 95% CI 39.5–46.7), other exposed skin (men: 19.9%, 95% CI 17.5–22.6; women: 34.4%, 95% CI 31.5–37.5), or both the face and other exposed skin (men: 14.3%, 95% CI: 12.3–16.6; women: 29.9%, 95% CI: 27.2–32.8). Regular use was associated with sun-sensitive skin, a household income ≥$60,000, and meeting aerobic activity guidelines (Ps < 0.05). Nearly 40% of users were unsure if their sunscreen provided broad spectrum protection. ; Limitations ; Reliance on self-report and lack of information on sunscreen reapplication or other sun-safety practices. ; Conclusion ; Sunscreen use is low, especially among certain demographic groups. These findings can inform sun-safety interventions and the interpretation of surveillance data on sunscreen use.
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• Subjects:
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Face
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Self Care
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• Keywords:
  • sunscreen
  • sun protection
  • sun safety
  • broad spectrum
  • sun protection factor
  • skin cancer prevention
• Source:
  J Am Acad Dermatol. 73(1):83-92.e1
• Pubmed ID:
  26002066
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4475428
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  73
• Issue:
  1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/31725/cdc_31725_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 561.58 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:8cde1fe575f5e3b560fdad279331bbb0ef89b337388f84f01b6e0eec3f26392a