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Children of melanoma survivors do not adequately protect themselves from sun
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Children of melanoma survivors do not adhere to optimal sun protection recommendations, as more than 40% of those individuals experienced a sunburn in the past year, according to results of an observational study.
Beth A. Glenn, PhD, associate professor of health policy and management at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health at Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA, and colleagues identified and surveyed 324 melanoma survivors over a 3-year period to evaluate the sun exposure patterns and sun protection practices of their children.
Melanoma survivors who were Latino or non-Latino white and had at least one child aged 0 to 17 years were eligible to participate in the survey, administered by phone, by mail or online.
The survey asked parents about melanoma-prevention attitudes, whether they believed their children were at risk, and the extent of sun-protection strategies their children currently used.
Survey results showed sun protection techniques was suboptimal, researchers said.
The researchers determined many parents relied on sunscreen to protect their children against sun exposure. Few parents reported that their children wore a hat or sunglasses, or tried to seek shade when they were exposed to the sun.
Survey results showed 43% of respondents indicated their child had experienced a sunburn in the past year. The sunburn rate among these children was equivalent to or higher than estimates for average-risk populations, according to researchers.
Older age of children was associated with reduced sun protection strategies and greater risk for sunburn, researchers wrote.
“Sunburns were common among the children in our study despite their elevated risk for skin cancer,” Glenn said in a press release. “Also, children of Latino survivors were just as likely as children of non-Latino white survivors to have experienced a recent sunburn, which highlights the importance of including this group in our work.”
The researchers indicated they plan to use the survey results to apply for additional funding to develop an intervention program for melanoma survivors and their children. The program would combine text message reminders with educational materials and other activities.
“Protecting kids against the sun’s harmful rays at an early age is vitally important,” Glenn said. “Our goal is to develop an intervention that will help parents protect their children today and help children develop sun safe habits that will reduce their risk for skin cancer in the future.”
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