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TOPLINE:

In the 2024 National Health Interview Survey, more than one third of US adults reported at least one sunburn, most often during water-related activities and despite sunscreen use, whereas 7.5% reported four or more sunburns.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed data from 32,629 adults who participated in the 2024 National Health Interview Survey, a cross-sectional household interview survey of the noninstitutionalized US civilian population, with a response rate of 47.9%.
• Participants self-reported the number of sunburns experienced during the previous 12 months and the context of their most recent sunburn. Survey questions assessed whether recent sunburns occurred during work, tanning, exercise, water-related activities, sunscreen use, or alcohol consumption. Frequent sunburn was defined as four or more sunburns during the previous 12 months.
• Sun sensitivity was assessed by asking respondents what would happen to their skin after 1 hour of unprotected sun exposure, with responses grouped into sun-sensitive, not sun-sensitive, and do not go out in the sun categories.
• The outcome was the prevalence of at least 1 sunburn and at least 4 sunburns during the previous 12 months overall and among sun-sensitive adults. Data were weighted to generate nationally representative estimates.

TAKEAWAY:

• An estimated 88.1 million (35.1%) US adults experienced at least one sunburn during the previous 12 months, including 68.1 million (54.6%) sun-sensitive adults, whereas approximately 18.8 million (7.5%) adults reported at least four sunburns.
• Spending time in, on, or near water (60.6%) was the most common context for recent sunburns, followed by exercising (24.7%), drinking alcohol (17.6%), intentionally tanning (15.9%), and working at their job (12.9%).
• More than one half of adults (55.1%) reported that their most recent sunburn occurred despite using sunscreen.
• Younger adults (age, 18-29 years; 46.0%), White adults (45.8%), and those with higher family income (43.4%) had the highest prevalence of sunburn.

IN PRACTICE:

“Sunscreen needs to be used properly and reapplied frequently to prevent sunburn,” the authors of the study wrote. “Measures to adapt, tailor, and expand existing evidence-based sun safety interventions might help prevent sunburns and reduce the risk for skin cancer,” they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Dawn M. Holman, MPH, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, and was published online on May 21 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

LIMITATIONS:

Limitations included the cross-sectional study design, self-reports, inclusion of only the most recent sunburn, and lack of details about sunscreen application practices.

DISCLOSURES:

The study funding source and conflicts of interest were not disclosed.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.