WASHINGTON – Despite high levels of sun exposure, nearly half of collegiate athletes don't use sunscreen, according to a recent survey.
The anonymous survey of 290 athletes from two universities – one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast – found that 96% of respondents believed sunscreen would help protect them from skin cancer. Yet, 43% of the athletes surveyed reported never using sunscreen, 31% reported only using sunscreen 1-3 days per week, 18% reported using sunscreen 4-6 days per week, and 8% reported using sunscreen every day of the week.
On average, the athletes reported spending 4 hours a day outdoors for 10 months a year, said Dr. Ashley Wysong, a resident in the department of dermatology at Stanford (Calif.) University.
With more than 400,000 NCAA collegiate athletes in universities across the nation, "An organized educational campaign by dermatologists, the NCAA, member universities, and individual coaches may be beneficial" in achieving better sun protection among college athletes, said Dr. Wysong, a former six-time NCAA All-American and national champion in middle distance running.
The survey, which included 13 outdoor sports, found that the percentage of athletes who wore sunscreen increased with the frequency of coaches or athletic administrators speaking with them about sun protection.
Survey respondents listed several reasons for not using sunscreen. The most common was forgetting to use it (63%), followed by inconvenience of use (41%), and "I like to be tan" (39%). Other reasons the athletes reported for not using sunscreen included: belief that they don’t burn (35%), the greasy feel of sunscreen (34%), and the time it takes for application (22%).
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Despite knowing that sunscreen helps protect against skin cancer, 43% of NCAA athletes surveyed said they never use it.
Not surprisingly, sunburns were common among the participants. Nearly 84% reported experiencing at least one sunburn in the past year, with 28% reporting four or more, and 10% reporting a blistering sunburn.
The majority of respondents were Fitzpatrick Skin Type I and II, but all skin types were represented in the study, the authors reported.
A few factors contributed to sunscreen use: living in the West Coast, female gender, number of sunburns in the past year, belief in the risk of skin cancer, knowing someone with skin cancer, and worry about wrinkles.
A study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati reached a similar conclusion, finding "a need for improved primary prevention of ultraviolet damage" among college athletes. The survey found that 85% of athletes at four universities reported no sunscreen use during the prior week, and only 7% reported using sunscreen at least three times during that time period (J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 2005;53:237-41).
Dr. Wysong said that sun protective behavior extends beyond just the athletes themselves, because "they are role models for younger kids."
To follow-up their study, the authors are planning to hand out educational literature to freshmen athletes and conduct before and after questionnaires on sunscreen use.
Dr. Wysong reported having no conflicts of interest.