Survey finds 41% of Canadians do not pay attention to UV index

The Canadian Cancer Society has reported results of national survey that found 41% of Canadians responded that they did not pay attention to the UV index, which measures the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

The survey, conducted April 21-23 among 1,505 randomly selected Canadian adults, found that 46% of men reported ignoring the UV index, compared with 37% of women according to a news release.

Those least likely to pay attention to the UV index were younger Canadians, with 56% of those aged 18-to-34 years reporting they don’t pay attention to the index, compared to 33% of survey respondents aged 55 years and older.

The belief that the sun is the safest source of vitamin D was reported by 48% of the respondents, while 43% said that getting a tan is important for vitamin D needs.

Younger Canadians also were more likely to believe the sun was an important source of vitamin D, with 48% of those aged 18 to 34 years that a tan is important to get vitamin D, compared with 40% of respondents aged 55 years and older, according to the release.

Among the respondents, 75% reported getting “a bit of color from the sun” made them look healthy, with 29% of those surveyed reporting they like to get a deep tan, the society reported.

The organization reported that the UV index was developed by Environment Canada and is included with daily wreathe reports, with a range of 0 to 11-plus. It recommends that individuals should protect their skin as much as possible when the index is 3 or higher, which includes waring a wide-brimmed hat, tightly woven or UV protective clothing and sunglasses and wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 30 or higher.

The survey was conducted by Maru/Matchbox on behalf of Jamieson Vitamins and the Canadian Cancer Society, and had a margin of error of ± 2.5%, 19 times out of 20, according to the release.

Reference: www.cancer.ca