Adolescents’ attitudes toward sun safety influence skin cancer prevention behaviors.

A new study funded by the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health shows how high school students perceive it Cost sun protection and award Tanning plays an important role in whether or not they practice sun-safe behavior. This work will help inform more effective skin cancer prevention efforts during adolescence.

the study, “The relationship between perceived costs and rewards of sun protection and sun protection practices among high school students,” Published April 21 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, and also presented at the 2026 AACR Annual Meeting, epidemiological survey data were collected 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.

The researchers found that students who considered sun protection, such as wearing sunscreen or protective clothing, to be inconvenient or inconvenient were significantly less likely to engage in sun-safe behaviors. Similarly, teens who viewed tanning as enhancing appearance or social attractiveness 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 less participation in UVR-protective behavior.

“These data remind us that knowing about the risks of excessive sun exposure is not enough to change adolescents’ behavior,” said the study’s senior author Kenneth P. Tercyk, 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 need to understand how they think about the advantages and disadvantages of staying safe, and help change that perspective.”

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

biology student at Georgetown University and first author Omar U. “This study highlights the importance of working with communities to help people access more effective skin cancer prevention strategies early in life and reduce the burden of cancer,” Anwar said.