QIMR Berghofer researchers have found that declining melanoma rates among young Australians have been influenced by the country's increasingly diverse population and more varied skin tones.

New research from Professor David Whiteman has found almost 30% of young Australians now have a low to moderate risk of melanoma because of their ancestry and darker skin tones. 

While public health campaigns like the "Slip! Slop! Slap!" ads of the 1980s have been credited with reducing melanoma rates, the study led by Professor Whiteman, who has spent the past 30 years researching skin cancer, suggests that demographic changes have also been a significant factor.