Definition
Sun exposure refers to the amount and manner in which people expose themselves to sunlight. This is a highly complex parameter for quantification, as it relies on self-report and its effects depend on multiple environmental and personal factors, as well as on frequency and location of exposure on the body. Most skin cancers are related to sun exposure, and a great majority of exposure to sun takes place before adulthood, making children and adolescents central target groups for assessment and prevention of sun exposure and skin cancers. Multiple studies have linked sun exposure to various cancers, particularly to skin cancer. In a review of 57 studies, intermittent sun exposure and history of burns were related to risk of melanoma. In contrast, high occupational sun exposure was inversely related to melanoma. Furthermore, factors such as country of study seem to moderate effects of sun exposure on melanoma, suggesting that effects of sun exposure depend on geographical...
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References and Further Readings
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Gidron, Y. (2016). Sun Exposure. In: Gellman, M., Turner, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_1518-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_1518-2
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