American Cancer Society: Most US adults still not using sunscreen

The report, which also highlights other cancer-forming habits such as obesity and tobacco use, pinpoints the fact that during the last several decades there has been significant progress in some areas of cancer control.

This is mainly due to increased awareness and advances in screening techniques that make cancer detection easier, but the report also highlights a number of areas where progress in lagging.

Sunscreen use still not there​

Besides the fact that most adults do not regularly use sunscreen to protect themselves against UV exposure when outdoors, 32.1% of adults claimed they use sunscreen often or always when outside in warm weather during the past 12 months.

Some 37.1% of adults that were questioned also reported that under the same circumstances they were likely to either seek shade, while 12.8% said they would wear hats and 11.5% wore long-sleeved shirts.

However, the figures relating to sunscreen use dipped significantly for younger people, with only 10.1% of US high school students reporting that they used sunscreen routinely and 20.2% of younger women reporting that they do so.

Cancer risk factors and screening​

The report has been written off the back of research gathered by the American Cancer Society that analyzes data for cancer risk factors and screening from the Centers for Control and Prevention (CDC).

The findings highlight how efforts to strengthen cancer prevention and early detection are highly disparate when it comes to the US population, with certain demographics demonstrating much higher rates of awareness, while also being more likely to seek out detection and treatments.

The findings were published in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention journal, as well as a standalone consumer publication, Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts and Figures.