The Valley sees around 300 days of sunshine a year on average. Seattle, by contrast, has more than 200 days of heavy clouds each year. But new research shows that regardless of how sunny or cloudy the place you live, you’re probably not reaching into the medicine cabinet for sunscreen.
The study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows around 14 percent of men and almost 30 percent of women say they regularly put sunscreen on their face and other exposed skin.
We spoke to Dawn Holman, a behavioral scientist with the CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control and the study’s lead author.
We also wanted to know if these results match what Arizona experts have seen since several cities here are among the sunniest in the country. For that perspective, we turn to Lisa Quale, health educator for the University of Arizona Skin Cancer Institute.