Table 2. Sun-Protection Behaviors by Sexual Orientation of Sun-Exposed US Adult Men According to NHIS 2015.
| Sun-Protection Behavior | Heterosexual (n = 12 350)a |
Sexual Minority (n = 341)a |
P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunscreen use | |||
| Behavioral score, mean (SE)b | 2.4 (0.02) | 2.8 (0.1) | |
| Coefficient (95% CI)c | 0 [Reference] | 0.17 (0.01 to 0.33) | .04 |
| Shade | |||
| Behavioral score, mean (SE)b | 3.0 (0.02) | 3.2 (0.1) | |
| Coefficient (95% CI)c | 0 [Reference] | 0.18 (0.02 to 0.33) | .03 |
| Long pants | |||
| Behavioral score, mean (SE)b | 2.6 (0.02) | 2.4 (0.1) | |
| Coefficient (95% CI)c | 0 [Reference] | −0.17 (−0.36 to −0.01) | .04 |
| Long sleeves | |||
| Behavioral score, mean (SE)b | 2.0 (0.02) | 1.8 (0.1) | |
| Coefficient (95% CI)c | 0 [Reference] | −0.27 (−0.42 to −0.13) | <.001 |
| Baseball cap or visor | |||
| Behavioral score, mean (SE)b | 3.2 (0.02) | 2.6 (0.1) | |
| Coefficient (95% CI)c | 0 [Reference] | −0.70 (−0.91 to −0.49) | <.001 |
| Wide-brimmed hat | |||
| Behavioral score, mean (SE)b | 1.9 (0.02) | 1.6 (0.1) | |
| Coefficient (95% CI)c | 0 [Reference] | −0.33 (−0.48 to −0.19) | <.001 |
| Multimodal sun protection | |||
| Composite score, mean (SE)d | 2.5 (0.01) | 2.4 (0.05) | |
| Coefficient (95% CI)c | 0 [Reference] | −0.19 (−0.28 to −0.10) | <.001 |
Abbreviations: NHIS, National Health Interview Survey; SE, standard error.
Unweighted sample size for reference. 1373 of 15 071 (9.1%) total male respondents were excluded owing to missing data on any covariate or primary outcome. 1007 of 13 686 (7.4%) of remaining male respondents were excluded who reported no significant outdoor sun exposure (self-reported response of “do not go out in the sun on a warm sunny day for more than one hour”).
Age-adjusted weighted mean behavioral score standardized against the age distribution of adult men in the general population (based on 2015 NHIS estimates) using the direct method for age standardization. Individual participants were assigned a behavioral score between 1 (never use) and 5 (always use) based on a Likert scale for self-reported use of each sun protection method when outdoors on a sunny day for more than 1 h.
Coefficient calculated using multivariable-adjusted linear regression analyses controlling for age, race, region, education level, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared), sun sensitivity, personal history of skin cancer, and family history of skin cancer.
Age-adjusted weighted mean composite score standardized against the age distribution of adult men in the general population (based on 2015 NHIS estimates) using the direct method for age standardization. Composite score of multimodal sun protection calculated for each participant as the average of the mean behavioral scores for each of the sun protective behaviors.