Sunscreen knowledge and practices in dermatology patients: A cross-sectional survey

Summary: Abstract Body: Despite increasing recognition of the importance of sun protection, studies report lower rates of sunscreen use and accessibility among patients with skin of color (SOC) compared to White patients in the US. To evaluate the impact of patient demographics on sun protection behaviors and knowledge, we conducted a survey across five dermatology clinics. Among 234 participants, 73 (31.5%) identified as Black, 68 (29.3%) as White, 14 (6.0%) as Asian and 77 (33.3%) were Other/Unknown. The cohort consisted of 166 (71.6%) females and 66 (28.4%) males, with a mean age of 49.36 ± 18.9 years. 160 (69.0%) respondents reported a history of sunscreen/SPF use. Of those, 66 (41.3%) reported wearing sunscreen daily, 22 (13.8%) 3-4 days per week, 5 (3.1%) 1-2 days/week, and 62 (38.8%) sporadically. Multivariate logistic regression identified older age (OR=0.96, 95% CI=0.94-0.98, p=0.001) and male sex (OR=0.15, 95% CI=0.06-0.33, p<0.001) as significant negative predictors of sunscreen use. Although not statistically significant, Black race (OR=0.43, 95% CI=0.15-1.17, p=0.10) had a negative trend towards sunscreen use. Ethnicity, Fitzpatrick Skin Type (FST), personal or family history of skin cancer, and dermatology visit type (medical or cosmetic) did not significantly predict sunscreen use. 55 respondents (34.4%) reported awareness of different sunscreen types (chemical vs. physical blockers). White patients showed a trend towards greater awareness (OR=2.73, 95% CI=0.96-7.95, p=0.060), whereas Black patients (OR=0.38, 95% CI=0.11-1.26, p=0.12) and Hispanic or Latino patients (OR=0.37, CI=0.12-1.10, p=0.080) showed trends towards lower awareness. Race, ethnicity and FST were not significant predictors of preference for chemical vs. physical sunscreen. Our findings show disparities in sunscreen knowledge and practices across different demographic groups and emphasize the need for increased efforts to better inform sunscreen use in SOC patients. Janet Choi¹, Kevin Wang¹, Isabelle Ilan¹, Raquel Klinger¹, Hailey Konisky¹, Hannah Leibowitz¹, Shaun Wu¹, Kseniya Kobets¹ 1. Medicine, Division of Dermatology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States. Clinical Research: Epidemiology and Observational Research