A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Attitudes Toward Skin Color and Sun-Related Behaviors

Introduction: Sociocultural values toward skin color manifest in daily behaviors, such as sun-seeking behaviors in Euro-American culture and sun-protective behaviors in Chinese culture. However, little research has investigated how attitudes toward skin color affect sun-related behaviors when distinct Chinese and Euro-American cultural values interact. Therefore, the relationship between sociocultural perspectives related to daily sun-related behaviors were explored in a natural experiment context among three groups of genetically Chinese women who experienced both cultures: (1) Chinese women who grew up in mainland China until at least the age of 18 and moved to the US; (2) Chinese Americans who grew up in the US and were raised by Chinese parents; and (3) Chinese adoptees who grew up in the US and were raised by Euro-American parents. These three groups, presumably located on the spectrum from leaning toward Chinese culture to leaning toward Euro-American culture, helped illuminate how attitudes toward skin color and sun-related behavior reflect varied cultural backgrounds.

Methods: Ethnographic approaches, including integrating visual and scenario elicitation, as well as unstructured and structural questions, were integrated into in-depth interviews with 48 women with Chinese heritage: (a) 15 Chinese women, (b) 15 Chinese Americans, and (c) 18 Chinese adoptees.

Results: Using qualitative approaches to analyze the data, results correspond to the spectrum design of three groups situated between Chinese and Euro-American cultures. Specifically, attitudes toward skin color and sun-related behaviors from the three groups represent the different cultural backgrounds studied. In general, Chinese women leaned toward Chinese culture, as they preferred having lighter skin and engaged in more sun-protection practices. Chinese Americans had mixed results compared to the other two groups. Chinese adoptees mostly leaned toward Euro-American culture, as they preferred tanned skin and engaged in more sun-seeking behaviors, which resulted in more sunburn experiences.

Conclusions: Results elucidate the connections between sun-related behaviors and sociocultural backgrounds, especially how leaning toward Euro-American cultural values might increase sun exposure and sunburn tendency. Since sun exposure contributes to health outcomes, such as skin cancer, bone density, and vitamin D absorption, these findings have significant implications for public health prevention efforts. They point to the need for considering sociocultural variables when conducting clinical work and developing intervention strategies that can change social norms and contextual cues in behavioral changes among ethnic minority women.