title: A survey of sunbathing practices on three Connecticut State beaches.
abstract: In order to analyze sunbathing practices, a survey was conducted during the summer of 1995 on three Connecticut state beaches, with 1,003 interviews completed. The majority (65.8%) of respondents were women. Almost 70% of respondents were visiting the beach to get or maintain a tan. While the intended beach stay averaged four hours, only 55.7% of respondents were using sunscreen, 6.9% were sitting under shade, 12.7% were wearing hats, and 17.1% were wearing clothes other than a bathing suit. More than half (55%) of the sunscreen used had a sun protection factor of less than 15. Children were provided with greater protection than adults. The survey indicates the need for greater educational efforts to motivate protective behavior. Primary-care physicians could have an important role in these efforts.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Zitser
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: St Clair
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001493:Bathing Beaches; D002648:Child; D003020:Clothing; D003237:Connecticut; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006370:Heliotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013473:Sunscreening Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D013473:Sunscreening Agents