Trends in sun protection behaviour among Australian young adults

To study changes in sun protection behaviour, exposure and sunburn that occur from late adolescence to young adulthood.

A longitudinal design was used to survey a cohort on their sun-protection behaviour from the middle of their final year at school to more than three years after finishing school.

Males reported higher exposure, less use of sunscreen and deeper tans than females. Yet males wore hats more frequently. People with skin that just burnt were more likely to protect themselves from the sun than people with skin that tanned. Longitudinally, the level of reported exposure and the depth of tan declined, frequency of covering up, hat wearing and sunscreen use remained unchanged, and a slight U-shaped trend was observed for sunburn.

Young adulthood may be an important time where deteriorating trends for sun protection found in the teen years are averted. Males are at greater risk of sun exposure than females.

It is recommended that health promotion programs capitalise on the trend of improved sun-protective behaviours during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood, with a particular focus on young men.