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Incidence and public health burden of sunburn among beachgoers in the United States
Citation:
Deflorio-Barker, S., B. Arnold, E. Sams, A. Dufour, J. Colford, S. Weinberg, K. Schiff, AND Tim Wade. Incidence and public health burden of sunburn among beachgoers in the United States. APHA, Denver, CO, October 29 - November 02, 2016.
Impact/Purpose:
To describe the incidence and public health burden associated with sunburn among beachgoers in the United States.
Description:
Sunburn, a preventable skin condition, is a major risk factor for skin cancer. Severe burns can result in emergency department visits and in some cases hospitalization. Many people spend hours in direct sunlight while at the beach, which could lead to sunburn. We pooled data from 13 prospective cohorts of beachgoers in the United States (n=84,411) to describe incidence of sunburn, risk factors associated with an increased risk of sunburn, and the health burden resulting from time lost from work or school, visits to the doctor, and medication use. The incidence of sunburn in this population in the 10-12 days after the beach visit was 14% (n=9,882), excluding those with sunburn at enrollment. Sunburn incidence increased with greater time spent in the sun. Approximately 8% of beachgoers only exposed for <1 hour reported sunburn, whereas almost 20% spending ≥5 hours in the sun reported sunburn (p<0.001). Those with any water contact were also more likely to report sunburn (15% versus 11%, p<0.001). Among all participants, 66% applied sunblock. When skin type was considered, the highest incidence was noted among those who report repeated sunburns (17%) or freckles when in the sun (13%) compared to 11% who typically get dark tans. The incidence of sunburn varied considerably by age group. Children ages <1 year had the lowest incidence of sunburn (2%) whereas adults between the ages of 19-35 had the highest incidence of sunburn (18%). Preliminary analyses indicate that among beachgoers with incident sunburn; 34% take over-the-counter medications, 1% seek medical care from a physician, 0.5% take prescription medications, 0.1% visit an emergency department, and 11% miss time from work/school or daily activities due to sunburn. Sunburn is common among beachgoers, and may be associated with substantial public health burden. This abstract does not represent EPA policy