Sun-protective behavior resources should be enhanced for men who have a lower income and less education, and particularly those living in the Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States, according to a poster presented at the 2023 AAD Annual Meeting.

Researchers sought to describe the sun-protective behaviors, such as sunscreen and sun-protective clothing use, of attendees at American Academy of Dermatology SPOT Skin Cancer screenings. In addition, researchers aimed to identify disparities in these behaviors and how resources can be optimized for improving them.

Analysis was conducted on 116 595 attendee records from 2018 to 2019, including income per $10 000, age, sex, race, highest level of education completed, US region of residence, self-reported tendency to sunburn, and self-reported sun-protective behaviors. The majority of attendees were at least age 30 years (88.6%), White (86.3%), female (61.8%), and completed at least a college education (69.6%).

Lower zip code level income per $10 000 increments was associated with fewer sun-protective behaviors, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.95, (P<0.001). Men reported less sun-protective behaviors than women (aOR=1.53, P<0.001). Black (aOR=2.86), Hispanic (aOR=2.09), and Asian (aOR=2.85) individuals were more likely than White attendees to rarely or never engage in sun-protective behaviors (P<0.001, respectively). Those with a graduate degree were more likely to utilize sun-protective behaviors than attendees with a highest attained level of elementary (aOR=1.84), high school (aOR=1.74), or college (aOR=1.13) education (P<0.001, respectively). Attendees from the Midwest (aOR=1.09, P=0.003) and South (aOR=0.010, P=0.010) used sun-protective behaviors less frequently than those living in the Northeast.

“Information on trends in sun-protective behavior may help elucidate disparities…thereby informing where resources could be optimized for those presenting for dermatologic care,” concluded the poster authors.

Reference

Gao D, Swetter S, Hawryluk E, Geller A, Beaulieu D. Analysis of utilization of sun-protective behavior among national SPOT Skin Cancer® program screenees from 2018 to 2019. Poster presented at: AAD Annual Meeting; March 17–21, 2023; New Orleans, LA.