Atlanta—A new study suggests that an increasing number of people are not using proper sun-protection measures, reports HealthDay News.
The study, published recently in the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, says that the percentage of American adults who suffered sunburn increased from 31.8 percent to 33.7 percent during years the between 1999 to 2004, suggesting that warnings about using proper sun protection aren’t being heeded.
The study also found that significant portions of most racial and ethnic groups reported getting sunburned in the three years—1999, 2003 and 2004—during which the survey data was collected.
Overall, according to the study, men were more likely to get sunburned (35.8 percent in 1999, 37 percent in 2003 and 2004) than women (28 percent, 30.2 percent and 30.3 percent, respectively).
The highest rate of sunburn prevalence among whites in any of the three years was in Utah (51.3 percent in 2003), while the lowest was in Arizona (25.7 percent in 1999). Twenty states reported a statistically significant increase in sunburn rates among whites, while four states—Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Louisiana—reported a significant decrease.
