Sunburn and sun protection among New Zealand adolescents over a summer weekend.

Abstract

To examine predictors of sunburn and sun protection practices during summer weekends within a sample of NZ adolescents. Phone interviews were conducted with 203 participants aged 12-17 years. Questions were asked about behaviour from 11am to 4pm during the previous weekend. Less than half of the sample outside during peak radiation hours wore sunscreen and only a quarter wore hats. Sunburn was experienced by 31% of adolescents and was associated with spending longer times outside and use of sunscreen without reapplication. Wearing a sunhat was predicted by being younger and male, while sunscreen use was predicted by being female. There is a lack of appropriate sun protection among many NZ adolescents, and correspondingly high rates of sunburn. Possible opportunities to address this are through increasing the efficacy of sunscreen and sun hat use, and creating outdoor environments that support sun avoidance.