Queensland: Sun Safety Still Not Taken Seriously

A COOPERATIVE study between the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and Queensland Health has found that the sun protection message is still not getting through, particularly for men aged 18-24.

The sun protection study published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday surveyed 16,473 Queenslanders aged over 18 between 2009 and 2010, asking them if they had been sunburnt the weekend before.

The study found that one in eight men and one in 12 women suffered sunburn that lasted longer than 12 hours.

Those aged between 18 and 24 years old were seven times more likely to have been sunburnt, while people aged 25-44 years were five times more likely than those aged over 65 years old to report sunburn.

“Other sunburn predictors were male sex, not having a tertiary education, and being in the workforce,” the report’s authors found.

“People who had undertaken physical activity in the previous week, regardless of frequency of frequency or duration, were more likely to be sunburnt than those who did not. People who undertook the recommended level of physical activity had twice the odds of sunburn of inactive people, while those who undertook one to four sessions were also at risk.”

The respondents’ most common explanation for their sunburn was “failure to use clothing or sunscreen protection”.

One of the report’s authors, Dr Peter O’Rourke, a senior statistician with the QIMR cancer and population studies group, said the sun safety message, now about 50 years old, was still very valid.

“The sun is pretty fierce in Queensland but we enjoy the lifestyle, outdoor activities is what we do,” he said.

“But there is the sun safety message that has been around for decades now and some people are following that. One of our findings is that the people that actually followed the sun-safe messages are having less sunburn than those that just do their own thing.

“Perhaps they just need reminding. Perhaps we need to be continually vigilant in keeping the message in front of them, that sunburn is an issue, that we should be taking protection.”