Parental roles and childhood sun safety

摘要

Statistics by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2013 show that only 10.1% of adolescents in theUnited States (U.S.) wear sunscreen regularly when they are outside on a sunny day for more than an hour. Furthermore,the Healthy People 2020 has failed to reach its target to increase the sun protection among teens from 9.3% in 2009 to11.2% by 2020. Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure and sunburns during the age of 10 to 15 is linked to all kinds ofskin cancer, in particular malignant melanoma, the second most common cancer among females aged 15 to 29 years old.Studies have also shown that primary school-aged boys and children aged 8 and above are less protected against UVRand have higher reported sunburns. Many sun protection programs focus on children due to their constant exposureto UVR and due to the fact that there is a higher probability that children would change their behavior. As the skinof children is more sensitive to UVR, sun protection should begin in early childhood, an important phase to establishhealth behaviors and make a difference in children’s lives. Parents play an imperative part in promoting childhood sunsafety. Promoting this can take several forms: parents setting a good example for their children and parents keepingthemselves and their children educated on sun safety. All these are simply yet effective measures which can go a longway in helping to reduce the burden of skin cancer.