WASHINGTON — Most adults say that they always or nearly always use at least one method of preventing overexposure to the sun, according to a convenience sample of 1,269 adults aged 18–39 years living in Maryland in 2004.
The most common strategies reported were avoiding the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (35%); using sunscreen with at least SPF 15 regularly (30%); using protective clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts or pants (16%); and wearing a hat (12%), wrote Eileen Steinberger, M.D., in a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Preventive Medicine.
Men and respondents with higher levels of education were more likely to wear hats, while women, white responders, and responders of an ethnicity other than white or black were more likely to use sunscreen, wrote Dr. Steinberger of the University of Maryland.
Overall, people aged 25 years and older were more likely to use at least one sun protection method. White responders accounted for almost all users of artificial tanning, with 8% of males and 23% of females reporting use of an artificial tanning device within the previous year.