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Incidence and Public Health Burden of Sunburn Among Beachgoers in the United States
Citation:
Deflorio-Barker, S., D. Holman, R. Landolfi, B. Arnold, J. Colford, S. Weisberg, K. Schiff, E. Sams, AND T. Wade. Incidence and Public Health Burden of Sunburn Among Beachgoers in the United States. Preventive Medicine. Elsevier Online, New York, NY, 134:106047, (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106047
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of sunburn among a large cohort (n=75,614) of beachgoers across the United States. In addition, our aim was also to estimate the economic burden of a single sunburn among these beachgoers and to examine the protective relationship between sun protective behaviors and sunburn.
Description:
The beach environment creates many barriers to effective sun protection, putting beachgoers at risk for sunburn, a well-established risk factor for skin cancer. Our objective was to estimate incidence of sunburn among beachgoers and evaluate the relationship between sunburn incidence and sun-protective behaviors. A secondary analysis, of prospective cohorts at 12 locations within the U.S. from 2003 to 2009 (n = 75,614), were pooled to evaluate sunburn incidence 10–12 days after the beach visit. Behavioral and environmental conditions were cross-tabulated with sunburn incidence. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between new sunburn and sun-protective behaviors. Overall, 13.1% of beachgoers reported sunburn. Those aged 13–18 years (16.5%), whites (16.0%), and those at beach locations along the Eastern Seaboard (16.1%), had the highest incidence of sunburn. For those spending ≥5 h in the sun, the use of multiple types of sun protection reduced odds of sunburn by 55% relative to those who used no sun protection (Odds Ratio = 0.45 (95% Confidence Interval:0.27–0.77)) after adjusting for skin type, age, and race. Acute health effects of sunburn tend to be mild and self-limiting, but potential long-term health consequences are more serious and costly. Efforts to encourage and support proper sun-protective behaviors, and increase access to shade, protective clothing, and sunscreen, can help prevent sunburn and reduce skin cancer risk among beachgoers.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Incidence and Public Health Burden of Sunburn Among Beachgoers in the United States