Teen attitudes toward sun protection impact skin cancer prevention behaviors

A new study funded by the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health finds that how high school students perceive the costs of sun protection and the rewards of tanning play a significant role in whether they practice sun-safe behaviors. The work will help inform more effective skin cancer prevention efforts during adolescence.

The study, "Associations Between Perceived Costs and Rewards of Sun Protection and Sun Safety Practices Among High School Students," published April 21 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, and simultaneously presented at the 2026 AACR Annual Meeting, collected epidemiologic survey data from more than 2,100 students enrolled in Utah high schools as part of the Sun-safe Habits Intervention and Education (SHINE) trial conducted between 2021 and 2023.

Researchers found that students who viewed sun protection, such as wearing sunscreen or protective clothing, as inconvenient or uncomfortable were significantly less likely to engage in sun-safe behaviors. Similarly, teens who perceived tanning as enhancing appearance or social appeal were less likely to protect themselves from ultraviolet radiation (UVR), a leading cause of skin cancer.

Even after adjusting for demographics and skin cancer knowledge, higher perceived costs of sun protection and greater perceived rewards of tanning were associated with lower engagement in UVR-protective behaviors.

"These data remind us that knowing about the risks of overexposure to the sun isn't enough to change teens' behavior," said the study's senior author Kenneth P. Tercyak, PhD, professor of oncology, pediatrics, and psychiatry and co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. "To do that, we have to understand what they think about the pros and cons of staying safe, and help shift that perspective."

The authors suggest that school-based skin cancer prevention programs should move beyond risk messaging to incorporate appearance-focused and tailored strategies, such as UV photography or photoaging feedback, to reduce motivational barriers and promote lasting behavior change.

"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," said first author, Omar U. Anwar, a biology student at Georgetown University.