How Smart is SunSmart? Skin Cancer Information Campaigns, Sunlight Exposure, and Asthma in Australia

We exploit spatial and temporal variation in sunlight radiation across Australia to document the relationship between in utero sunlight exposure and later-life asthma. We find that respondents who experienced above-average levels of sunlight in the nine months prior to their birth are 4.7 percentage points less likely to have been diagnosed with asthma. Next, we turn to the puzzle that despite being one of the sunniest countries, Australia has one of the highest rates of asthma prevalence. The explanation appears to be the Australians’ rising propensity to avoid the sun. A comparison of contemporaneous sunlight and the time Australians spend outdoors shows that younger generations are actively avoiding the sun. Using data on the year of establishment and financial standing of the Cancer Councils in different states, we show that SunSmart awareness campaigns about the harmful effects of sun exposure have triggered this behaviour, and may be unintentionally contributing to the rising rates of asthma in Australia.