Older non-Hispanic White adults are more likely to use sunscreen if they believe it will prevent them from getting sunburned and if they believe their romantic partners think they should do so, according to a study published in the May/June issue of the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association .

Dawn M. Holman, M.P.H., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues used online survey data to examine beliefs about sunscreen use among 237 non-Hispanic White adults aged 50 years or older.

The researchers found that the likelihood of reporting sunscreen use was increased for those who believed sunscreen use would prevent them from getting sunburned and for those who believed their romantic partners thought that they should use sunscreen (odds ratios, 1.84 and 1.72, respectively). The likelihood of reporting sunscreen use was lower for those who believed sunscreen use would "take too much time" (odds ratio, 0.65).

"The current findings can help to shape and inform the focus of such efforts, including the evaluation of messaging strategies that highlight the benefits of sunscreen use for sunburn prevention and address concerns about sunscreen use taking too much time," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text