by Elana Gotkine

More than one-third of U.S. adults report at least one sunburn during the previous 12 months, according to researchpublishedin the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionMorbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Dawn M. Holman, M.P.H., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues describe the prevalence of one or more and four or more sunburns among U.S. adults during the previous 12 months using data from the2024 National Health Interview Surveysample adult questionnaire.

The researchers found that an estimated 88.1 million (35.1%) and 18.8 million (7.5%) U.S. adults had at least one sunburn and had four or more sunburns, respectively, during the previous 12 months.

Spending time in, on, or near the water was the most frequently reported context of the most recent sunburn among adults who experienced sunburn in the previous year (60.6%), followed by exercising, drinking alcohol, intentionally tanning, and working at their job (24.7%, 17.6%, 15.9%, and 12.9%, respectively). About half (55.1%) reported that the most recent sunburn occurred despite sunscreen use.

"Measures to adapt, tailor, and expand existing evidence-based sun safety interventions might help prevent sunburns and reduce the risk for skin cancer," the authors write.

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Publication details Dawn M. Holman et al, Prevalence and Context of Sunburn Among U.S. Adults — United States, 2024, MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2026). DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7519a2 Journal information: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report