8 2019 Skin Cancer Prevention Progress Report WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR? Each Year, One in Five Sun-Sensitive Older Adults Gets Sunburned In June 2019, a paper that described sun protection behaviors and sunburn among U.S. older adults was published in The Gerontologist.9 Just over one in eight of all of all older adults (13.2%) and about one in five sun-sensitive older adults (20.4%) had experienced sunburn in the past year. Men, adults between 65 and 69 years old, non-Hispanic whites, and those with skin that burns or freckles after repeated sun exposure were more likely to have been sunburned in the past year compared to the respective comparison groups. Indoor Tanning Continues to Decline Among U S High School Students A paper published in the Journal of Community Health in June 2019 assessed changes in the prevalence of indoor tanning among U.S. high school students over time by sex, age, and race/ethnicity.10 Indoor tanning has continued to decrease, particularly among white and Hispanic female students. However, continued efforts are needed to further reduce and sustain reductions in adolescent indoor tanning. Lack of Time Is an Important Barrier to Clinical Counseling on Skin Cancer Prevention The U.S. Preventive ServicesTask Force recommends that clinicians counsel fair-skinned patients aged 6 months to 24 years on skin cancer prevention and selectively counsel fair-skinned adults older than 24 years. A paper published in Preventive Medicine in July 2019 described self-reported skin cancer prevention counseling practices among family practitioners, internists, pediatricians, and nurse practitioners.11 Lack of time, more urgent health concerns, and patient disinterest were identified as important barriers to clinical counseling.
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