Teens increasingly are shunning sunscreen, according to a study from William Paterson University in New Jersey. Just 56 percent of teens regularly used the burn-warding lotion, researchers say—a huge drop from the two-thirds of teens who lathered on sunscreen in 2001.
Meanwhile, rates of skin cancer are on the rise. Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, rose about 1.6 percent among men and 1.4 percent among women between 2001 and 2010. “It’s alarming,” says Corey Basch, an author of the study. “Given that the rates of skin cancer and melanoma are going up, we would have liked to have seen sun protection measures also going up.” (Fox News)
Paul Asay has written for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for PluggedIn and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He recently collaborated with Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, on his book The Good Dad. He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.