Table 2.
Reasons for infrequent or none use of sunscreen
| I do not use sunscreen because… | Agreement | Disagreement | Do not know | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % | n | % | n | % | |
| 1. Lack of commitment | ||||||
| … it is too inconvenient | 283 | 45.8 | 331 | 53.7 | 3 | 0.5 |
| … I am too lazy to use sunscreen | 238 | 38.6 | 376 | 60.9 | 3 | 0.5 |
| … I often forget to apply sunscreen | 218 | 35.4 | 390 | 63.2 | 9 | 1.4 |
| 2. Lack of risk awareness | ||||||
| … I do not need sunscreen | 247 | 40.2 | 362 | 58.9 | 5 | 0.9 |
| … sun protection is not important to me | 208 | 33.8 | 400 | 65.0 | 7 | 1.2 |
| … my skin is insensitive | 147 | 23.9 | 461 | 74.8 | 8 | 1.3 |
| … sunscreen prevents me from getting tanned | 100 | 16.2 | 508 | 82.5 | 8 | 1.3 |
| 3. Barriers related to application of sunscreen | ||||||
| … it bothers me that one has to reapply it | 218 | 35.4 | 393 | 63.8 | 5 | 0.9 |
| … it is often too stressful for me to wear sunscreen | 173 | 28.1 | 436 | 70.7 | 7 | 1.2 |
| ...I cannot get to all parts of the body, like my back | 141 | 22.9 | 470 | 76.6 | 3 | 0.5 |
| … applying sunscreen takes too much time | 105 | 17.1 | 504 | 82.1 | 5 | 0.8 |
| … I have difficulties applying sunscreen | 84 | 13.7 | 526 | 85.3 | 6 | 1.0 |
| 4. Unpleasant side-effects of sunscreen | ||||||
| … sunscreen makes sand stick to the skin | 190 | 30.8 | 419 | 68.0 | 7 | 1.2 |
| … sunscreen gets into the water and damages the environment | 105 | 17.1 | 495 | 80.3 | 16 | 2.6 |
| … sunscreen burns the eyes | 87 | 14.2 | 512 | 83.2 | 16 | 2.7 |
| … I get pimples when I use sunscreen | 87 | 14.2 | 518 | 84.1 | 11 | 1.7 |
| … my skin is allergic to sunscreen | 65 | 10.5 | 546 | 88.6 | 6 | 0.9 |
| 5. Peer group–related barriers | ||||||
| … sunscreen on the skin makes me look unattractive | 46 | 7.4 | 558 | 90.8 | 11 | 1.8 |
| … my friends do not use sunscreen either | 43 | 7.0 | 554 | 89.9 | 19 | 3.0 |
| … using sunscreen makes me look weak | 38 | 6.1 | 561 | 91.3 | 16 | 2.6 |
| 6. Barriers related to product characteristics | ||||||
| … I find sunscreen too sticky or oily/greasy | 223 | 36.2 | 388 | 62.9 | 6 | 1.0 |
| … sunscreen leaves a white film on the skin | 122 | 19.7 | 483 | 78.3 | 12 | 2.0 |
| … sunscreen has an unpleasant odor | 85 | 13.8 | 524 | 85.2 | 6 | 1.0 |
| … the cream on skin shines too much | 65 | 10.6 | 541 | 87.8 | 10 | 1.6 |
| … sunscreen is too expensive | 28 | 4.6 | 575 | 93.4 | 12 | 2.0 |
Data from the fourth wave of the National Cancer Aid Monitoring (NCAM)
n = 617 individuals who reported infrequent or none use of sunscreen
Data weighted by age, sex, education, and federal state