Sunbathing habits and sunscreen use among white adults: results of a national survey.
OBJECTIVE
This study assessed current levels of sunbathing and sunscreen use in the United States.


METHODS
From a general-population telephone survey of aquatic activities among adults in 3042 US households, we examined responses by the 2459 Whites.


RESULTS
Most adults (59%) reported sunbathing during the past year, and 25% reported frequent sunbathing. Of the subsample who reported sunbathing during the month before the interview, 47% routinely used sunscreen. Of these individuals, almost half did not use sunscreens with a solar protection factor of 15 or higher.


CONCLUSIONS
About a quarter of US White adults report frequent sunbathing, and only about a quarter of sunbathers use sunscreens at recommended levels. These results should help focus future sun protection educational efforts.
Koh
H K
HK
Cancer Prevention and Control Center, Boston University School of Medicine, MA 02118, USA.
Bak
S M
SM
Geller
A C
AC
Mangione
T W
TW
Hingson
R W
RW
Levenson
S M
SM
Miller
D R
DR
Lew
R A
RA
Howland
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D013472:Sunlight; D013473:Sunscreening Agents; D014481:United States; D044465:White People
D013473:Sunscreening Agents