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Use of sun protection for young Australian children increased

While sun exposure in early childhood did not decrease during an 8-year period in Australia, the reported use of sun protection did, according to study results.

Researchers compared the sun-protective practices of two pediatric cohorts from Townsville, Australia. Two hundred one children (aged 12 to 35 months) recruited from 1991 hospital records made up cohort 1; 463 children in cohort 2 were recruited from 1999 to 2002 through day care centers. Phenotypic characteristics of the children were assessed, and parents completed questionnaires that detailed their children’s demographics, sun-exposure and sun-protective practices.

One-year-olds in cohort 2 (mean age, 16.9 months; 54.6% boys) spent more time in the sun (median 2.78 hours daily vs. 2.2 hours daily; P=.002) compared with those in cohort 1 (mean age, 18.8 months; 51.6% boys). The researchers reported, however, that in cohort 2 “a higher proportion almost always wore sunscreen and a swim shirt year round.”

Cohort 2 had more 1-year-olds who had experienced a sunburn compared with cohort 1 (51.2% vs. 35.5%; P=.007).

Fewer hours of sun exposure to the back of the trunk was reported for both 1-year-old and 2-year-old age groups in cohort 2 compared with cohort 1 (P<.001). The children in cohort 2 also were less likely to have been sunburned on the back and shoulders (1-year-olds, 10.1% vs. 34.8%; 2-year-olds, 10.1% vs. 52%; P<.001) and developed fewer melanocytic nevi at these sites (P<.001).

“The observed increase in popularity of swim shirts and sunscreen between cohorts coincided with the development of significantly fewer melanocytic nevi in these children,” the researchers concluded. “The results of this study suggest the need for a change of approach and continued momentum in public health campaigns, particularly encouraging the use of sun-protective clothing. Assessing the trend in sun-protective practices over time provides some direction for future skin cancer prevention.”