Beach holiday sunburn: The sunscreen paradox and gender differences

A survey about sunbathing practices was performed on a summer holiday weekend at a Galveston beach. The likelihood of sunburn increased with increasing duration of sun exposure, with 100% of subjects experiencing sunburn after exposure greater than or equal to 4.5 hours. Men exhibited a significantly higher frequency of sunburn, employed fewer sun-protective measures, and demonstrated less knowledge concerning sun safety information and skin cancer than women. This information suggests a need for greater educational efforts directed toward changing public attitudes about preventing sunburn, especially those of men, that currently lead to high-risk sunbathing behavior.