Sunscreen Increasingly Overshadows Alternative Sun-Protection Strategies

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 radiati...

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Main Authors: Koch, S., Pettigrew, S., Strickland, M., Slevin, Terry, Minto, C.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2016
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19974
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author Koch, S.
Pettigrew, S.
Strickland, M.
Slevin, Terry
Minto, C.
author_facet Koch, S.
Pettigrew, S.
Strickland, M.
Slevin, Terry
Minto, C.
author_sort Koch, S.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description 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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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-199742017-09-13T16:09:31Z Sunscreen Increasingly Overshadows Alternative Sun-Protection Strategies Koch, S. Pettigrew, S. Strickland, M. Slevin, Terry Minto, C. 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. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19974 10.1007/s13187-016-0986-5 restricted
spellingShingle Koch, S.
Pettigrew, S.
Strickland, M.
Slevin, Terry
Minto, C.
Sunscreen Increasingly Overshadows Alternative Sun-Protection Strategies
title Sunscreen Increasingly Overshadows Alternative Sun-Protection Strategies
title_full Sunscreen Increasingly Overshadows Alternative Sun-Protection Strategies
title_fullStr Sunscreen Increasingly Overshadows Alternative Sun-Protection Strategies
title_full_unstemmed Sunscreen Increasingly Overshadows Alternative Sun-Protection Strategies
title_short Sunscreen Increasingly Overshadows Alternative Sun-Protection Strategies
title_sort sunscreen increasingly overshadows alternative sun-protection strategies
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19974