Research and facts on sun safety

Scientific research is absolutely essential in the battle to reduce New Zealanders’ high rates of skin cancer. The HSC carries out its own research, while our national and international partners also contribute hugely to the wealth of skin cancer research produced each year.

HSC research

The HSC leads the development of some key sun safety research, such as the Triennial Sun Exposure Survey. To find out more, click here.

Other research

This section includes the results from the Health and Lifestyles survey (Sunbed use), 2009/10 National Sun Exposure Survey, and the results of the HSC Never Let Your Child Get Sunburnt communications campaign. Also included are links to NZ data on skin cancer and melanoma rates, including regional break down of data. The statistics section will provide you with some quick facts about skin cancer in New Zealand.

Latest fact sheets

Sunbed users in New Zealand: Results from the 2010 Health and Lifestyles Survey

National Sun Exposure Survey

Started in 1994, this ongoing sun protection survey takes place every three years, and collects information on New Zealanders' sun protection behaviour and attitudes. Results from the 2009/10 survey are presented below.

Sun Exposure Survey: Adult topline report
Appendix 1 Sun Exposure Survey main adult questions
Appendix 4 Climate summary

The next survey will take place in the summer of 2012/13 and will be co-funded by the HSC and Cancer Society of New Zealand.

Also presented below are the responses of a youth sample aged 13-17 years and the younger adult sample aged 18-24 years

Sun Exposure Survey 2010 : Sun exposure and vitamin D

Results from the SES were examined to find out whether people who were concerned about getting vitamin D from the sun showed different sun protection behaviours compared with the overall population. The results are briefly outlined in the attached fact sheet.

In Fact: Does concern about vitamin D affect people's sun protection behaviour

Evaluation of Communications Campaign (‘Never Let Your Child Get Sunburnt’)

HSC’s communications about sun safety is evaluated through post-campaign surveys. Campaign awareness is also measured by the Health and Lifestyles Survey, which is repeated every two years. Given below is the result from the Never Let Your Child Get Sunburnt communication campaign, which began in 2008 and ran for three years.

Never Let Your Child Get Sunburnt : Results of the evaluation

Two key measures of the NLYCGS campaign were to assess awareness of the campaign and its messages, and any resulting behavioural changes.
Download In Fact: Did the messages get through?
Download In Fact: Did the messages lead to behavioural change?

New Zealand data

Latest data : Cancers - New registrations and deaths 2008

This annual statistical publication collates and analyses data on primary malignant tumour cases diagnosed in New Zealand, as reported to the New Zealand Cancer Registry.

Other national and international research and data

Children's sun exposure and sun protection: Prevalence in Australia and related parental factors. September 2011 Authors: Suzanne Dobbinson PhD, Melanie Wakefield PhD, David Hill PhD , AfafGirgis PhD, Joanne F. Aitken PhD, Kerri Beckmann MPH, Anthony I.Reeder PhD, Natalie Herd BA, & BSc (Hons)a, Matthew J. Spittal PhD, Andrew Fairthorne LLB, BSc and Kelly-Ann Bowles BSc.

This paper describes the prevalence of children’s sun-related behaviors and associated parental and other factors.

Costs of skin cancer to New Zealand 2009 report (Cancer Society of New Zealand website)
Skin cancer mortality rates - comparisons by age, gender and year (Excel, 30KB) (supplied by the New Zealand Health Information Service)
Melanoma mortality rates – comparisons by age, gender and year (Excel, 624KB) (supplied by the New Zealand Health Information Service)
New Zealand regional cancer rates - records of cancer rates by region, age, gender and year (Excel, 224KB) (supplied by the New Zealand Health Information Service)
New Zealand Health Information Service website has more data, statistics and information on cancer.

International comparisons

The following sites have information about melanoma and other skin cancers around the world.

International Agency for Research on Cancer website (World Health Organisation)
World Health Organisation Global InfoBase is a data warehouse that collects, stores and displays information on chronic diseases and their risk factors for all WHO member states, including New Zealand.
The National Institute for Water and Atmosphere (NIWA) undertake environmental research around issues such as ozone depletion and the effect of altitude on UV radiation levels.
The Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Group at the University of Otago also contributes significantly to knowledge in this area.

Melanoma Surveillance in the United States

A new series of studies indicates that more than 45,000 cases of melanoma occurred in 45 states and the District of Columbia each year during 2004-2006. The report, “Melanoma Surveillance in the United States,” is available at http://www.eblue.org/webfiles/images/journals/ymjd/MelanomaSupplementProof.pdf and represents the largest, most comprehensive examination of melanoma data to-date covering up to 78% of the U.S. population. These results will appear in the November 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The on-line editorial can be found here http://www.eblue.org/article/S0190-9622(11)00358-6/fulltext