Canadians are spending more time in the sun and using less sun protection despite decades of public health messaging and an uptick in skin cancer cases, finds a study in BMJ Public Health.
For the study, researchers analyzed national survey data collected between 2011 and 2018 from over 77,000 people, representing a weighted sample of 21 million Canadians.
Fully 75% of adult Canadians reported spending at least 30 minutes in the sun on summer days off, with nearly half staying out for two hours or more. Most reported irregular or no use of sunscreen. One in three Canadians experienced a sunburn in the past year, the survey showed.
Young adults were much more likely to get sunburned and use tanning beds than older adults, and they were also less likely to wear protective clothing.
“This increasing sun exposure and decreasing protection is very concerning,” said Ivan Litvinov, MD, PhD, senior study author and Associate Professor of Dermatology at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in a news release. “Episodic sunburns, especially in childhood or adolescence, significantly increase the risk of melanoma later in life.”
Why are so many people spending time in the sun without protection? Cultural beauty standards, a sense of invincibility among youth, and potential cost barriers for sun protection may be key factors driving these behaviors, the researchers note.
Melanoma rose by an estimated 17% in 2024 over the previous year, with approximately 11,000 new cases diagnosed across the country. Other forms of skin cancer are also becoming more common.
