Study: Teens Don't Care about Sun's Effects
By: Jen Mueller,
DailySpark Blogger
2/24/2012 6:00 AM
: 28 comments
: 6,970 Views
It’s hard to explain to a 5 and 3-year old why it’s important to coat their bodies in greasy sunscreen when we go outside. They can’t quite understand the concept of cancer and skin damage, so sometimes it’s a battle to get them covered. Especially when we’re outside a lot in the summer, I use sunscreen as much as possible (although I do give them a little time without it just so they get their daily dose of Vitamin D). I also encourage them to wear hats because I don’t think you can be too careful when it comes to the sun.
When my kids ask “Why do we always have to put that stuff on?!?!”, I just tell them their beautiful skin won’t be so nice anymore if they don’t. I hoping that by establishing these habits now, as they get older it will be second-nature to protect themselves from the sun before going outside. There is so much talk in the news these days about the harmful effects of the sun; you’d think everyone (especially young people) would be diligent about using sunscreen. A new study says the majority are not.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that only 25 percent of 14-year olds surveyed use sunscreen on a regular basis. As they got older, the kids were even less likely to use sunscreen and on average, spent more time in the sun. The study examined data on hundreds of fifth graders who were surveyed in 2004 and then again 3 years later. As the number who used sunscreen dropped, the number who said they like spending time outside getting a tan increased.
I used to tan (inside and outside) when I was a teenager, and I cringe when I think about that now. My “excuse” is that we didn’t know it could be harmful, kind of like kids who started smoking before anyone realized how dangerous it could be. But now that we do know the risks, it’s hard to believe that more kids aren’t taking the steps to protect themselves. Researchers stress the importance of education to help kids make healthier choices to protect their skin. But it can be difficult to convince someone to make changes now that will benefit them 10 or 20 years down the road.
What do you think? How do we get more kids to use sunscreen on a regular basis?
When my kids ask “Why do we always have to put that stuff on?!?!”, I just tell them their beautiful skin won’t be so nice anymore if they don’t. I hoping that by establishing these habits now, as they get older it will be second-nature to protect themselves from the sun before going outside. There is so much talk in the news these days about the harmful effects of the sun; you’d think everyone (especially young people) would be diligent about using sunscreen. A new study says the majority are not.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that only 25 percent of 14-year olds surveyed use sunscreen on a regular basis. As they got older, the kids were even less likely to use sunscreen and on average, spent more time in the sun. The study examined data on hundreds of fifth graders who were surveyed in 2004 and then again 3 years later. As the number who used sunscreen dropped, the number who said they like spending time outside getting a tan increased.
I used to tan (inside and outside) when I was a teenager, and I cringe when I think about that now. My “excuse” is that we didn’t know it could be harmful, kind of like kids who started smoking before anyone realized how dangerous it could be. But now that we do know the risks, it’s hard to believe that more kids aren’t taking the steps to protect themselves. Researchers stress the importance of education to help kids make healthier choices to protect their skin. But it can be difficult to convince someone to make changes now that will benefit them 10 or 20 years down the road.
What do you think? How do we get more kids to use sunscreen on a regular basis?
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Comments
Trust me all the joy of having that tan skin was erased by doctor visits, surgeries, over thirty skin biopsies and most of all the fact that I might be around to see my children grow up. Tan skin is a risk, plain and simple. Take the steps to protect yourself and your love ones. You will not be sorry you did, only sorry if you don't.
Try different sunscreens until you find one that works for you. No one wants to feel covered with a greasy heavy lotion so don't give up until you find the right one.
I use Ceravee and you can get it at Wal-Mart. Be smart protect your skin.
Blessings!! - 2/27/2012 10:37:46 AM
Here's the address to an abstract for any doubters who might be wondering where the heck I pulled this from!
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1915514
3
I'm not making this up, I swear!
If one isn't careful, the same can happen with sunscreen -- blocking out UVB rays but not blocking out UVA rays. Sunscreen needs to be broad-spectrum or else you're blocking out the good rays and letting the bad ones in.
Of course, on the other hand, people have lived thousands of years without sunscreen, without skin cancer, but WITH wrinkles! I don't want those! I started wearing sunscreen on my face religiously when I was in high school and on Retin-A, and now it's habit. I just try to stick to one that is natural so I'm not smearing chemicals all over myself and so I'm getting equal UV blockage. Now I'm 29 years old and nobody, literally nobody, guesses that I'm over 22. A few weeks ago, I was told I looked 17.
This is all so complex, I figure don't shun the sun (I DO like the look of a little sun-kiss, not a sun-bake, and that's not going to change), but protect yourself by using natural sunblock and eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables. - 2/26/2012 9:17:09 AM
I used to use suntan lotion as a teen, today I use SUNSCREEN.....but at 67, the affects of my teens years is quiet evident with all my ages spots!!!! - 2/24/2012 7:25:56 PM
Oh, and your comment on training your little ones is great and will likely lead to skin & sun-conscious teens, but for those with teenagers already it might be too late to make sunscreen a habit. - 2/24/2012 4:47:25 PM
That's what we thought when I was a teen, back in the Dark Ages. And unfortunately, that's what they still think today. You'll start to change attitudes towards sunscreen when the fashion industry along with the fitness industry promote pale skin as beautiful.
I don't even want to think of the damage I did to my skin as a teen. I too believed that having a tan meant I was healthy.
- 2/24/2012 11:28:42 AM
I picked up a bottle that the doctor had in the lobby and I carefully read the instructions: "Apply thirty minutes before first exposure to the sun." It then gave reapplications instructions that sounded to me more like "Please use up this bottle before your day at the beach is over and purchase two so you have enough."
When the doctor called me in, expained my son's progress, and asked if I had any questions. No, all that was straight forward. But ...
I asked if I could ask something about this brochure. "It seems like I have to plan a trip to the mailbox as if I am going on Safari according to this," the brochure, "and this," the sunscreen bottle.
"You know? You are probably the first client who has noticed that. And you are not wrong. But without strict warnings people would spend entire days at the beach with no sunscreen. So they go a little overboard." - 2/24/2012 9:35:51 AM
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