Sun-protection behaviour and self-assessed burning tendency among sunbathers

A total of 805 sunbathing Caucasians were interviewed about sunprotection behaviour and self-assessed burning tendency. Sixty-seven percent of the interviewed sunbathers used one or more sunscreen factors. Sunscreen-users and nonusers were exposed to the sun 206 min and 197 min (P = 0.186), respectively. The sunscreen users were exposed to a marginally higher UV dose than non-sunscreen users, 4.8 SED versus 4.5 SED (P = 0.0348). The rate of sunscreen users was significantly higher among subjects who stated that they always were sunburnt in the spring when not using a sunscreen than subjects who stated that they never were sunburnt in the spring when not using a sunscreen (P = 0.0001). However, when comparing subjects that always burn in the spring and subjects that never burn in the spring, we found no significant difference between level of the sun-protection factor (P = 0.11) nor the duration of sun exposure (P = 0.967), nor to which UV doses the subjects were exposed (P = 0,562). Furthermore we found that the interviewed sunbathers interpreted to "be sunburnt" as more severe than "to turn red". Public campaigns recommend the use of sun protection cream when sunbathing without using other sun protective strategies; however, the use of sun protection cream is inadequate among sunbathers. More education is required to persuade those with more sun-sensitive skin to use a higher protection-factor, to reduce sun exposure at times when UV radiation is most intense, and to reduce the duration of exposure.