As tens of thousands of sun worshippers prepare to make the annual Boxing Day pilgrimage to the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, skin cancer awareness campaigners are warning about one in seven are likely to burn.
Of these the majority are likely to be men, prompting leading corporate skin cancer campaigner Suncorp to challenge men to slap some sunscreen on their Aussie pride this holiday season.
The latest report issued by Queensland's Chief Health Officer found women are more than twice as likely as men to lather on the sunscreen when they head outdoors.
The report revealed 49% of women, compared with 22% of men, wore sunscreen if they spent more than 15 minutes outdoors between 10am and 3pm on a weekday. However, the tables were reversed when it came to wearing hats.
About 51% of men, compared with 28% of women, wore a hat, cap or visor.
As part of its SunWise campaign, Suncorp is warning all Queenslanders not to risk their lives and to follow its three simple SunWise tips - Avoid, Protect and Check*.
Suncorp Group Executive Banking David Foster reminded Queenslanders, UV burn time in summer can be as little as six minutes ^ and urged both men and women to put safety ahead of style.
"The Chief Health Officer's figures appear to point to an underlying concern both men and women share about the impact wearing a hat or sunscreen might have on their appearance,"
he said.
"Disappointingly the report also showed only 8% of men and 9% of women undertook three of the most basic sun safe behaviours - wearing a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.
"Failing to take these simple steps is putting a huge burden on our health system with the cost of treating non-melanoma skin cancer in Australia exceeding $260 million.
"By comparison it would cost each person little more than $1 to buy enough sunscreen to ensure they're properly protected this Boxing Day.
"Taking steps to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays should be taken seriously. The
most dangerous form of skin cancer - melanoma - affects more than 8,000 Australians every year, and kills more than 1,000 of them. Queensland alone accounts for 2,000 new cases and more than 200 deaths each year^."
Suncorp has been a major sponsor of the skin cancer research laboratories at Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) since 2004 and has raised more than $1 million for vital skin cancer research.
For more information on the Suncorp SunWise campaign visit www.suncorp.com.au/sunwise
^ Provided by QIMR
Media contact: Kathryn Stevens, Sequel Communications ph: (07) 3251 8145 or 0403 090 912