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Summertime sun protection used by adults for their children,☆☆

https://doi.org/10.1067/mjd.2000.103984Get rights and content

Abstract

Background: Because an estimated 50% to 80% of the skin’s lifetime sun damage is thought to occur in childhood and adolescence, it is during these critical periods that intense, intermittent sun exposure causing burning increases melanoma risk. Methods: A 1997 telephone survey of 503 households evaluated parental attitudes about their child having a tan, and ease of practicing sun protection, sun protection methods used, and sunburning on 5 successive summer weekends. Results: In a random sample of 1 child from each household, 13% of children sunburned during the past week or weekend, and 9% of their parents experienced a sunburn during the past weekend. Children’s sunburn was significantly associated with sunburn in the adult respondent, increasing age of the child, having fair skin, being white, and using sunscreens. Duration and peak hours of sun exposure were associated for children and parents. Sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 15 was the predominant form of sun protection used. Sunscreen use in children was significantly associated with longer duration of sun exposure, sunny weather conditions, younger age, fair skin, a history of sunburns before this study, a family history of skin cancer, and a higher family income. Feeling that a tan appeared healthy was associated with male gender of the adult and increasing age of the child. Complimenting the child on the appearance of a tan was associated with male gender of the adult, older children, children with skin type reported as olive or dark, and lower educational levels. Conclusion: Although there has been a promising initial effort to alert parents to the need to protect their children from sunburns, many view a tan as healthy and do not effectively implement sun protection behaviors for their children, which results in sunburns. Sun protection that prevents sunburning could be achieved by more children seeking shade, wearing protective clothing, limiting exposure during peak hours, and effectively using sunscreen. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2000;42:746-53.)

Section snippets

METHODS

The survey was conducted on 5 successive Mondays and Tuesdays in July and August 1997 by Leo J. Shapiro and Associates, Inc (Chicago, Ill). In the first 4 weeks, 100 interviews were completed; 103 were completed in the last week. The telephone survey was conducted with a random digit dialing procedure among a national probability sample of 15,362 households of the continental United States. A person was reached in 7215 households. Of the households in which a person was reached, 5343 did not

Population sample

The final sample size consisted of 503 adult respondents; 56% were the child’s mother, 28% the father, 8% the grandmother, 7% the guardian, and 1% refusing to state the relationship. The mean age of the respondent was 37.4 years. Households were located in the 48 continental United States and were distributed in proportion to the population. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the households are provided in Table I.

Weather conditions

A total of 87% of adults reported sunny conditions for the period

DISCUSSION

Previous studies based on recollection of experiencing a sunburn during the summer season have identified inadequate sun protection by children with estimates of up to 54% of the population experiencing at least one sunburn.14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 Among the 503 households surveyed in this study, the overall inadequate sun protection for children was identified by an adult’s observation of summer sunburns experienced by children during the previous week or weekend. This survey method reduced

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    Supported by the National Skin Cancer Prevention Education Program, cooperative agreement U50/CCU511453-03 between the American Academy of Dermatology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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    Reprint requests: June K. Robinson, MD, Loyola University Chicago, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, 216 S First Ave, Room 341, Maywood, IL 60153.

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