Sunburn

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In 2017, 57.2% of students in grades 9-12 were sunburned in the past year.

Summary graph for Sunburn, Click to see detailed view of graph

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Background

Sunburn, also known as erythema, is caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR), which results in an acute cutaneous inflammatory response. Sunburn results from over exposure to UVR and can occur from use of indoor tanning beds or over exposure to outdoor sunlight. Although sunbathing and tanning are strongly associated with sunburn, recent data indicate that most sunburns occur in contexts unrelated to intentional tanning, such as engaging in physical activity and when spending time near the water. Sunburn symptoms include redness, warmth, tenderness, or edema, and may cause pain or blistering. Annually, over 33,000 sunburns are reported that require emergency room visits and may occur among people of all racial/ethnic groups. Previous sun burning, particularly experienced at younger ages, is a strong predictor of future skin cancer and especially melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. People with sun sensitive skin are more likely to incur sunburn and are at greater risk for skin cancer, especially melanoma, than those with relatively less sun sensitivity. Sun sensitivity reflects a person’s characteristic skin response (e.g., a burn, a burn and then tan, etc.) after prolonged sun exposure or after a long period or season of being relatively unexposed. Though related to sun sensitivity, skin color and ethnicity are not adequate proxies for sun sensitivity because they are not accurate biological descriptors of at-risk populations.

Measure

The percentage of high school students (grades 9-12) who reported having been sunburned in the past 12 months.

The percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who reported having been sunburned in the past 12 months.

Healthy People 2030 Target

  • Reduce to 52.2 percent the proportion of adolescents in grades 9 through 12 who report sunburn.

Healthy People 2030 is a set of goals set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Note: Goals are indicated as blue line on Detailed Trend Graphs.

Data Source

Adolescents: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), 2015-2017.

Adults: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Health Interview Survey NCI and CDC co-sponsored Cancer Control Supplement, 2000-2010, 2010-2020.

In 2019 the NHIS questionnaire was redesigned to increase relevance, enhance data quality, and minimize respondent burden. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic created challenges conducting in-person interviews for the 2020 NHIS, requiring changes to field procedures to conduct most surveys by telephone, which impacted survey response rates. For details related to the potential impacts of these issues, please refer to Potential Impact of NHIS Redesign and COVID-19 on the Cancer Trends Progress Report.

Trends and Most Recent EstimatesHelp with navigating the graphs and data tables

Adolescents

By Sex
Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who were sunburned in the past year by sex, 2015-2017
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Percent of adolescents 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who were sunburned in the past year by sex, 2015-2017 Both SexesClick to see the detailed trend graph for Both Sexes 57.2 54.1 - 60.3
MaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Male 52.8 49.4 - 56.0
FemaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Female 61.6 58.4 - 64.7
By Race/Ethnicity
Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who were sunburned in the past year by race/ethnicity, 2015-2017
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Percent of adolescents 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who were sunburned in the past year by race/ethnicity, 2015-2017 All Races/EthnicitiesClick to see the detailed trend graph for All Races 57.2 54.1 - 60.3
Non-Hispanic WhiteClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic White 74.8 73.0 - 76.6
Non-Hispanic BlackClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Black 13.0 10.4 - 16.1
HispanicClick to see the detailed trend graph for Hispanic 45.1 42.4 - 47.8
By High School Grade
Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who were sunburned in the past year by grade level, 2015-2017
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2017)
Percent of adolescents 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who were sunburned in the past year by grade level, 2015-2017 Grade 9Click to see the detailed trend graph for Grade 9 57.7 53.9 - 61.4
Grade 10Click to see the detailed trend graph for Grade 10 57.2 53.1 - 61.2
Grade 11Click to see the detailed trend graph for Grade 11 55.6 51.5 - 59.7
Grade 12Click to see the detailed trend graph for Grade 12 58.7 54.5 - 62.9

Adults

By Sex
Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by sex, 2000-2020
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2020)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by sex, 2000-2020 Both SexesClick to see the detailed trend graph for Both Sexes 29.1 28.2 - 30.1
MaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Male 29.5 28.3 - 30.6
FemaleClick to see the detailed trend graph for Female 28.9 27.7 - 30.0
By Race/Ethnicity
Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by race/ethnicity, 2000-2020
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2020)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by race/ethnicity, 2000-2020 All Races/EthnicitiesClick to see the detailed trend graph for All Races 29.1 28.2 - 30.1
Non-Hispanic WhiteClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic White 41.1 40.1 - 42.2
Non-Hispanic BlackClick to see the detailed trend graph for Non-Hispanic Black 5.6 4.6 - 6.7
HispanicClick to see the detailed trend graph for Hispanic 14.4 12.9 - 16.0
By Age
Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by age, 2000-2020
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2020)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by age, 2000-2020 Ages 18-24Click to see the detailed trend graph for Ages 18-24 40.6 37.7 - 43.6
Ages 25 and olderClick to see the detailed trend graph for Ages 25 and older 27.4 26.5 - 28.3
By Sex and Age
Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by sex and age, 2000-2020
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2020)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by sex and age, 2000-2020 Males, Ages 18-24Click to see the detailed trend graph for Males, Ages 18-24 37.7 33.8 - 41.7
Males, Ages 25 and olderClick to see the detailed trend graph for Males, Ages 25 and older 28.2 27.1 - 29.4
Females, Ages 18-24Click to see the detailed trend graph for Females, Ages 18-24 43.6 39.4 - 47.8
Females, Ages 25 and olderClick to see the detailed trend graph for Females, Ages 25 and older 26.7 25.6 - 27.8
By Poverty Income Level
Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by poverty income level, 2000-2020
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2020)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by poverty income level, 2000-2020 <200% of federal poverty levelClick to see the detailed trend graph for <200% of federal poverty level 19.1 17.8 - 20.5
>=200% of federal poverty levelClick to see the detailed trend graph for >=200% of federal poverty level 33.1 32.1 - 34.1
By Education Level
Percentage of adults aged 25 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by highest level of education obtained, 2000-2020
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2020)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 25 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by highest level of education obtained, 2000-2020 Less than High SchoolClick to see the detailed trend graph for Less than High School 13.2 11.1 - 15.6
High SchoolClick to see the detailed trend graph for High School 23.0 21.4 - 24.7
Greater than High SchoolClick to see the detailed trend graph for Greater than High School 31.7 30.7 - 32.7
By Sun Sensitivity
Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by sun sensitivity, 2000-2020
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2020)
Percent of adults 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who were sunburned in the past year by sun sensitivity, 2000-2020 Sun-SensitiveClick to see the detailed trend graph for Sun-Sensitive 45.3 44.1 - 46.4
Not Sun-SensitiveClick to see the detailed trend graph for Not Sun-Sensitive 13.5 12.6 - 14.4
Sun sensitivity reflects a person's biological response (e.g., a burn, a burn and then tan, etc.) after prolonged sun exposure or after a long period or season of being relatively unexposed. Although race is related to sun sensitivity, race and ethnicity are not adequate proxies for sun sensitivity.

Additional Information on Sunburn

Year Range

2015-2017

Recent Summary Trend Year Range

2015-2017

Summary Tables

Sun Protection

Recent Summary Trend

Non-Significant Change

Desired Direction

Falling