Publication date: 07-09-2022 at 14:54
Most people from Brabant (88%) use sunscreen as protection against the sun. Many people from Brabant also stay in the shade or wear protective clothing. However, not all people from Brabant protect themselves sufficiently from the sun. Only 13% apply every two hours on sunny days. One in five never look at the skin for suspicious spots.
Many elderly people in particular never use sunscreen
About one in eight of our panelists (12%) say they never use sunscreen or spray. We see this especially in people of 75 years or older. Of this group, 23% say that they never apply sunscreen. The main reasons our panelists give for not applying sunscreen are that they don’t burn easily, they forget to rub themselves in and/or find it annoying to apply sunscreen. These panelists also protect themselves from the sun in other ways: they stay in the shade (62%), wear sunglasses (58%) and/or wear a hat or cap (46%).
Small part of Brabant people lubricate too late
Most panelists (80%) apply sunscreen for the first time one day before going outside. Five percent do not lubricate until after a few hours outside or when they threaten to burn. A small proportion of the panelists (13%) reapply every 2 hours on sunny days: half do this sometimes. After swimming outside, 36% re-apply. Most of our panelists (84%) use SPF 25-50 when rubbing.
4 out of 10 people from Brabant never worry about skin cancer
Forty percent of the people who completed the questionnaire never worry about skin cancer; 7% worry about this often or regularly. A fifth of the people who completed the questionnaire often examine the skin for suspicious spots. 40% have found a suspicious spot on the skin. Most (87%) went to a doctor with a suspicious spot – sometimes after looking at it for a while.
Facts and fables
We also asked panelists who completed the questionnaire to recognize some facts and myths about sun protection. In general, they knew how to distinguish the facts from the fables. However, almost a quarter of the participants (23%) were unaware that the effects of UV radiation and sunburn are greater for children than for adults.
About this research
This summer, the members of the GGD health panels in Brabant were asked about sun protection. More than 7,600 panel members completed the questionnaire. Want to know more about the research?
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