Examining U.S. Adults Risk Perceptions and Skin Protection Behaviors Using the 2022 HINTS Database

This study aims to provide a general overview of cancer risk perceptions and reported sunburns to prevent sunburn and reduce the long-term risk of developing skin cancer.

Data were obtained from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey 6 and analysis was carried out with SPSS. Descriptive statistics were conducted to explore sociodemographic characteristics, cancer risk perceptions, and behaviors surrounding sunburns in our sample. Associations between number of sunburns and sociodemographic variables were reported using multinomial regression analysis.

When asked how confident patients felt about their ability to take good care of their own health, most respondents felt either very confident (44.0%) or completely confident (27.3%). When asked how often they experienced a sunburn in the past 12 months, 2.1% reported experiencing more than 6 sunburns, 30.3% reported having between 1-5 sunburns, and 67.6% reported experiencing no sunburns. Using multinomial regression analysis, statistically significant associations were reported between number of sunburns and age, gender, occupation status, marital status, education, Hispanic origin, race, and income level.

The results of our study reinforce the need for public health interventions that effectively disseminate information on skin cancer risk across ethnic minority groups, especially in underserved communities within the U.S.