ABSTRACT
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, affecting approximately one million Americans every year. An estimated 1 1,590 deaths from skin cancer occurred in 2009. Despite a plethora of compelling scientific evidence identifying the risks associated with excessive unprotected sun exposure, the efforts of the FDA and organizations such as the Skin Cancer Foundation, and a significant increase in public health promotion campaigns warning about these risks, the incidence of skin cancer continues to rise yearly. Clearly, an increase in the awareness of the risks of sun exposure on the skin is not fully translating into the adoption of appropriate sun protection behaviors. It is imperative that further research be conducted to better understand this lack of behavioral change. This paper attempted to investigate this phenomenon by examining the development of current labeling and warning messages relating to sunscreen products in light of the available behavioral literature on warning label design.
