Do forecasts of UV indexes influence people's outdoor behaviour?

Objective: To investigate Australian adults' awareness of the ultraviolet ( UV) indexes forecast in the media, and whether these UV forecasts influence their behaviour in the sun. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was used on two occasions in 199 7 to ask about knowledge of UV indexes shown in the media and about possibl e influence on outdoor behaviour. Setting and participants: Participants were 977 residents (423 men; 554 wom en) of Nambour originally randomly selected in 1986 from the electoral roll , who have been followed up subsequently. Results:The majority of people - 92% of men and 86% of women - reported hav ing seen or heard the UV indexes forecast during summer. Of these, signific antly fewer men (107; 28%) than women (209; 46%) reported that their outdoo r behaviour was influenced by knowledge of the forecast (p=0.001). Neither age nor skin type, nor history of sunburns or skin cancer, affected knowled ge of UV forecasts or their influence on behaviour. Conclusions and Implications Although most people are aware of the forecast s of UV indexes in the media, the majority do not take them into account in their outdoor behaviour. Compared with women, men were more aware of, but less influenced by, forecasts of UV indexes. Better communication of the im plications of the UV indexes is needed, particularly to men, if they are to adapt their outdoor behaviour to improve their sun protection.