Sun safety declining in Canada amid rise in skin cancer, McGill study finds
Posted May 2, 2025 5:39 pm.
A new study led by McGill University is raising alarms about declining sun safety habits in Canada, particularly among young adults, as melanoma and other skin cancers become more common.
Despite years of public health campaigns, researchers found that Canadians are spending more time in the sun while using less protection. The study, which analyzed national survey data from over 77,000 people between 2011 and 2018, reflects the behaviours of approximately 21 million Canadians.
According to the findings, 75 per cent of adults reported spending at least 30 minutes in the sun on summer days off, with nearly half staying out for two hours or more. Most reported using sunscreen irregularly or not at all, and one in three had experienced a sunburn in the past year.
Young adults were particularly at risk, being more likely than older adults to get sunburned, use tanning beds, and wear less protective clothing.
“This increasing sun exposure and decreasing protection is very concerning,” said Dr. Ivan Litvinov, senior study author and associate professor of dermatology at McGill. “Episodic sunburns, especially in childhood or adolescence, significantly increase the risk of melanoma later in life.”
Litvinov pointed to cultural beauty standards, a sense of invincibility among youth, and potential cost barriers for sun protection as key contributors to these troubling behaviours.
Melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — rose by an estimated 17 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year, with around 11,000 new cases diagnosed in Canada. Other forms of skin cancer are also on the rise.
The study was funded by the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Cancer Research Society, and the Fonds de la recherche du Québec—Santé.
