Weekendplus Desk ;
A new study has identified seven factors associated with increased risk of sunburn, with a combination of youth and having darker skin with a higher melanin content giving some individuals a ‘false sense of invincibility or resiliency’ to sun damage.
Carried out in Florida, a state with a particularly high risk of sunburn due to a high percentage of sunny days and prolonged sun exposure during days at the beach, the research looked at 619 participants aged 18-92 years old.
Fifty-six percent of the participants were white, with the sample comprising 205 men (33.1 per cent) and 412 women (66.6 per cent).
The team found that a younger age (18 to 29 years) was the most significant predictor of sunburn, with participants aged 18 to 29 years 15.3 times more likely and those 30 to 59 years 5.82 times more likely to have been sunburned in the past 12 months than those 60 or older.
The team said these results were ‘particularly troubling’ as melanoma is the most prevalent type of cancer for people aged 25 to 29 and second most prevalent type of cancer for those aged 15 to 29.
Other significant predictors included identifying as nonwhite, having had a full-body skin examination by a physician, reporting higher levels of skin sensitivity to the sun, having a less
A new study has identified seven factors associated with increased risk of sunburn, with a combination of youth and having darker skin with a higher melanin content giving some individuals a ‘false sense of invincibility or resiliency’ to sun damage.
Carried out in Florida, a state with a particularly high risk of sunburn due to a high percentage of sunny days and prolonged sun exposure during days at the beach, the research looked at 619 participants aged 18-92 years old.
Fifty-six percent of the participants were white, with the sample comprising 205 men (33.1 per cent) and 412 women (66.6 per cent).
The team found that a younger age (18 to 29 years) was the most significant predictor of sunburn, with participants aged 18 to 29 years 15.3 times more likely and those 30 to 59 years 5.82 times more likely to have been sunburned in the past 12 months than those 60 or older.
The team said these results were ‘particularly troubling’ as melanoma is the most prevalent type of cancer for people aged 25 to 29 and second most prevalent type of cancer for those aged 15 to 29.
Other significant predictors included identifying as nonwhite, having had a full-body skin examination by a physician, reporting higher levels of skin sensitivity to the sun, having a less
