Table 1. Weighted Unadjusted Percentages of US Adults Who Regularly Use Sun Protection Strategies and Experience Sunburna .
| Variable | Study Participants, No. | Participants, % (95% CI) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (N = 31 162) | Men (n = 13 932) | Women (n = 17 230) | Sun-Sensitive Individualsb (n = 15 876) | ||
| Stay in the shade | |||||
| Yes | 11 660 | 37.1 (36.3-38.0) | 30.7 (29.5-31.9) | 43.1 (42.1-44.2) | 41.1 (39.9-42.3) |
| No | 17 476 | 57.4 (56.5-58.3) | 65.4 (64.2-66.6) | 49.9 (48.9-51.0) | 57.2 (56.0-58.4) |
| Don’t go in the sun | 1956 | 5.5 (5.1-5.9) | 3.9 (3.5-4.4) | 6.9 (6.3-7.6) | 1.7 (1.5-2.0) |
| Use sunscreen with SPF≥15 | |||||
| Yes | 9305 | 31.5 (30.7-32.3) | 22.1 (21.2-23.1) | 40.2 (39.0-41.3) | 42.9 (41.8-44.1) |
| No | 19 990 | 63.4 (62.6-64.2) | 74.3 (73.3-75.3) | 53.2 (52.0-54.3) | 55.5 (54.3-56.6) |
| Don’t go in the sun | 1852 | 5.2 (4.8-5.6) | 3.6 (3.2-4.0) | 6.7 (6.1-7.3) | 1.6 (1.4-1.9) |
| Wear long clothing to the ankles | |||||
| Yes | 9794 | 28.4 (27.6-29.1) | 34.3 (33.2-35.5) | 22.9 (22.0-23.7) | 28.2 (27.2-29.2) |
| No | 19 460 | 66.3 (65.5-67.1) | 62.2 (61.0-63.4) | 70.1 (69.1-71.1) | 70.2 (69.1-71.2) |
| Don’t go in the sun | 1881 | 5.3 (4.9-5.8) | 3.5 (3.1-4.0) | 7.0 (6.4-7.7) | 1.7 (1.4-2.0) |
| Wear a wide-brimmed hat | |||||
| Yes | 4729 | 14.2 (13.5-14.8) | 14.4 (13.5-15.4) | 14.0 (13.2-14.7) | 16.0 (15.2-16.9) |
| No | 24 486 | 80.4 (79.6-81.2) | 82.0 (81.0-82.9) | 79.0 (77.9-79.9) | 82.4 (81.5-83.3) |
| Don’t go in the sun | 1919 | 5.4 (5.0-5.9) | 3.7 (3.2-4.1) | 7.1 (6.5-7.8) | 1.6 (1.3-1.9) |
| Wear a long-sleeved shirt | |||||
| Yes | 4390 | 12.3 (11.7-12.8) | 13.2 (12.4-14.0) | 11.4 (10.7-12.1) | 12.8 (12.1-13.5) |
| No | 24 844 | 82.4 (81.6-83.1) | 83.3 (82.4-84.2) | 81.5 (80.5-82.5) | 85.6 (84.8-86.3) |
| Don’t go in the sun | 1903 | 5.4 (5.0-5.8) | 3.5 (3.1-4.0) | 7.1 (6.5-7.8) | 1.7 (1.4-2.0) |
| Sun avoidancec | |||||
| Yes | 13 436 | 42.0 (41.2-42.9) | 34.2 (33.0-35.4) | 49.3 (48.3-50.4) | 42.3 (41.1-43.4) |
| No | 17 726 | 58.0 (57.1-58.8) | 65.8 (64.6-67.0) | 50.7 (49.6-51.7) | 57.8 (56.6-58.9) |
| Protective clothingd | |||||
| Yes | 12 329 | 38.8 (37.9-39.7) | 43.8 (42.5-45.0) | 34.0 (33.0-35.1) | 38.5 (37.4-39.6) |
| No | 16 894 | 61.2 (60.3-62.1) | 56.3 (55.0-57.5) | 66.0 (64.9-67.0) | 61.5 (60.4-62.6) |
| No. of sunburns | |||||
| 0 | 21 336 | 65.8 (64.9-66.7) | 65.2 (63.9-66.5) | 66.4 (65.2-67.5) | 49.8 (48.6-51.1) |
| 1 | 4706 | 16.3 (15.7-16.9) | 16.9 (16.0-17.8) | 15.7 (15.0-16.5) | 22.7 (21.9-23.6) |
| 2 | 2875 | 9.9 (9.4-10.4) | 9.6 (9.0-10.4) | 10.2 (9.6-10.8) | 14.7 (13.9-15.6) |
| 3 | 921 | 3.4 (3.2-3.7) | 3.4 (3.0-3.8) | 3.5 (3.1-3.9) | 5.6 (5.1-6.2) |
| ≥4 | 1324 | 4.6 (4.3-5.0) | 4.9 (4.4-5.5) | 4.3 (3.9-4.8) | 7.1 (6.5-7.7) |
Abbreviation: SPF, sun protection factor.
a
Data derived from the National Health Interview Survey, 2015. Those with a personal history of melanoma and those with missing responses to questions about sunburn or sun protection were excluded.
b
Sun-sensitive individuals are those whose skin burns when not protected from the sun for 1 hour.
c
Sun avoidance was defined as usually or always staying in the shade or not going in the sun.
d
Protective clothing was defined as usually or always wearing 1 or more of the following: wide-brimmed hat, long sleeved shirt, or long clothing to the ankles.