AACR: Study Looks at Predictors of UV Radiation Exposure in High School Students

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By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, Senior Medical Editor, B. Pharm. Last updated on April 23, 2026.

via HealthDay

THURSDAY, April 23, 2026 -- For high school students, perceived higher costs of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) protection and greater tanning reward are independent predictors of lower sun-safe behavior, according to a study published online April 21 in Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, held from April 17 to 22 in San Diego.

Omar U. Anwar, from the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, D.C., and colleagues used data from 2,105 students enrolled in the Sun-safe Habits Intervention and Education cluster-randomized trial conducted in Utah high schools from 2021 to 2023 to examine associations between perceptions of the costs of UVR protections, the rewards of tanning, and engagement in UVR-protective behaviors.

The researchers found that students engaged in fewer UVR-protective behaviors if they perceived higher costs of UVR protection and greater rewards of tanning. A lower knowledge of UVR safety, higher perceived protection cost, and greater tanning reward independently predicted low sun-safe behavior in an adjusted model.

"This study drives home the importance of reaching people early in life with more effective skin cancer prevention strategies that resonate, and working with communities to help lower the cancer burden," Anwar said in a statement.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2026-04-24 02:02

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