Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

BMC Public Health

Volume

16

Issue

1

Publisher

Springer Nature / BMC

School

School of Medical and Health Sciences

RAS ID

43052

Funders

The Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation (Healthway) Western Australian Department of Health

Comments

Pettigrew, S., Jongenelis, M., Strickland, M., Minto, C., Slevin, T., Jalleh, G., & Lin, C. (2016). Predictors of sun protection behaviours and sunburn among Australian adolescents. BMC Public Health, 16, article 565. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3197-4

Abstract

Background

Excessive sun exposure and sunburn increase individuals’ risk of skin cancer. It is especially important to prevent sunburn in childhood due to the higher relative risk of skin cancer across the life span compared to risk associated with sunburn episodes experienced later in life. This study examined demographic and attitudinal factors associated with engagement in a range of sun protection behaviours (wearing a hat, wearing protective clothing, staying in the shade, and staying indoors during the middle of the day) and the frequency of sunburn among Western Australian adolescents to provide insights of relevance for future sun protection campaigns.

Methods

Cross-sectional telephone surveys were conducted annually with Western Australians between 2005/06 and 2014/15. The results from 4150 adolescents aged 14–17 years were used to conduct a path analysis of factors predicting various sun protection behaviours and sunburn.

Results

Significant primary predictors of the sun protection behaviours included in the study were skin type (sun sensitivity), gender, tanning-related attitudes and behaviours, and perceived relevance of public service advertisements that advocate sun protection. Of the four sun protection behaviours investigated, staying in the shade and staying indoors during the middle of the day were associated with a lower frequency of sunburn.

Conclusion

There is a particular need to target sun protection messages at adolescent males who are less likely to engage in the most effective sun protection behaviours and demonstrate an increased propensity to experience sunburn. The results suggest that such future sun protection messages should include a focus on the importance of staying in the shade or indoors during periods of high UV radiation to increase awareness of the efficacy of these methods of avoiding skin cancer.

DOI

10.1186/s12889-016-3197-4

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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