Sunburn in Brazilian college students and associated factors

Abstract

Excessive exposure to solar radiation is an essential determinant of skin cancer. The cross-sectional and census study aimed to determine the prevalence of sunburn in a recall for the last year and associated factors among university students. Participants were 2,295 health students aged 18 years or older from a University in the Brazilian Midwestern region in 2018. A pre-tested, standardized, and self-administered questionnaire was applied, using Poisson regression with robust variance. Sunburn was reported by 43.9% (95%CI 41.9-46.0) of the sample, with a higher prevalence among men. White people from a high economic class, higher skin sensitivity, and most frequently wearing a hat/cap showed a higher occurrence of sunburn. Analysis by sex indicated that sunburn was associated with increased skin sensitivity among men. The prevalence of sunburn among university students is high, which highlights the need for educational and skin cancer prevention strategies in this population.