Moms Slack Off on Sun Protection With Toddlers
Study finds more sunburns reported in second summer than in first
By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Aug 17 (HealthDayNews) -- Mothers slack off on sun protection as their infants turn into toddlers, says a study in the August issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
As a result, the number of children getting sunburned nearly doubled from their first summer to their second. While 22 percent got burned or tanned the first summer, 54 percent did during the second summer, the researchers report.
While the use of sunscreen actually increased among mothers of infants from the second summer compared to the first, other protective measures, such as seeking shade and wearing protective clothing, decreased.
"What really surprised us is that the burning and tanning rates increased so precipitously from age 6 to 18 months," said study author Alan C. Geller, an associate professor of dermatology at Boston University School of Medicine.
Geller's research was triggered by the fact that painful childhood sunburns are often blamed for the development of melanoma, the most deadly form of cancer. Cumulative sun exposure can also lead to other skin cancers. At least two thirds of U.S. children are not adequately protected from the sun, previous research has found. Each year, 1.3 million skin cancers are diagnosed.
Geller's team asked 92 new mothers to complete surveys about their own sun protection habits, as well as the steps they took to protect their babies from harmful UV rays during their infants' first six months of life. The American Academy of Pediatrics routinely recommends sunscreen for children aged 6 months and up.
Forty-five mothers were in an intervention group that received counseling from nurses about sun protection for their newborns, as well as pamphlets and phone counseling. Another 47 mothers were in the control group, which received only the counseling from nurses right after their child was born.
Even though sunscreen use increased by 62 percent in the intervention group and 56 percent in the control group from one summer to the next, sun protection measures --wearing long-sleeved clothing and seeking shade -- decreased. Overall, sun-protective clothing use dropped by 15 percent and shade use declined by more than a third.
Still, babies did seem to benefit when moms were educated about sunburn risks -- even into their second summer. According to the investigators, mothers reporting sunburn increased from 7 percent to 28 percent in the control group over the two years, while burn rates rose from 7 percent to just 14 percent in the intervention group over the same period.
That's a bit of good news, Geller said, proving that more intensive interventions with moms may help prevent infant sunburn.
He believes parents should receive education soon after the birth of their child on the importance of sun protection, similar to current programs that teach parents to put their newborns in auto safety seats for the ride home from the hospital.
"Previous research has shown that sun protection dipped between ages 9 and 12," he said. "This study shows it happens much earlier."
The findings point to the need to educate parents very early about the importance of a comprehensive sun protection program, he said.
"This was an interesting and novel approach," said Dr. James S. Spencer, a professor of clinical dermatology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and a member of the environment committee for the American Academy of Dermatology.
"Hats off, or maybe hats on, to Alan Geller for trying something new," Spencer said.
Spencer said educating parents on sun protection while their children are young remains a challenge. "The important take-home message for the reader is that skin cancer and wrinkles are easily prevented," he said.
Spencer's practice largely consists of treating patients with skin cancer. He tells them to avoid further skin exposure by using sunscreen, wearing long sleeves and seeking shade when possible.
"These things are easy to do," he tells his patients, reminding them that other health habits are much more difficult to follow. "It's not like totally changing your diet."
More information
To learn more about skin cancer prevention, visit the Skin Cancer Foundation.
SOURCES: Alan C. Geller, M.P.H. R.N., associate professor, dermatology, Boston
University School of Medicine, and associate professor, epidemiology, Boston
University School of Public Health; James Spencer, M.D., professor, clinical
dermatology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, dermatologist, St.
Petersburg, Fla., and member, Environment Committee, American Academy of
Dermatology; August 2004 Archives of Dermatology
Copyright © 2004 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.
Sun protection declines between the first and second summers of children's lives
August 16, 2004
CHICAGO—Mothers reported more sunburns and tanning in the second summer of their children's lives compared to the first summer, according to an article in the August issue of the Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
According to the article, many of the skin cancers diagnosed in the United States are caused by unprotected and excessive exposure to the sun. Sunburns during childhood are important in the development of melanoma (skin cancer) later in life, the article states, and it has been suggested that sun protection habits should begin early in life and be taught as part of routine preventive health care.
Lori Steinberg Benjes, M.D., of Boston University, and colleagues investigated whether an intensive intervention program aimed at mothers of newborns would increase sun protection practice and lower rates of sunburn for their children. The researchers also examined changes in sun protection practices and sunburn rates between the first and second summers of the children's lives.
A total of 92 mothers completed surveys on their own sun protection habits and how they protected their children from the sun in 1998, within the first six months of their child's life. Forty-five mothers were in the intervention group and after their child's birth received counseling from nurses on effective sun protection techniques for their newborns, received written materials, and participated in telephone counseling. The 47 mothers in the control group received only in-hospital sun protection counseling after their child was born.
The researchers found that the intervention and control groups had similar decreases in routine use of sun protection (long-sleeved clothing and pants, sunscreen and shading) between the first (average age, 6 months) and second summers (average age, 18 months) of the child's life.
However, sunscreen use increased 62 percent in the intervention group and 56 percent in the control group between the first and second summers of life.
The researchers also found that the proportion of mothers who reported that their child had experienced a sunburn increased from 7 percent to 45 percent in the intervention group compared with 17 percent to 37 percent in the intervention group. The increase in skin damage (burning plus tanning) for the children was 32 percent for the intervention group and 43 percent for the control group from the first to second summer of life.
"The overall analysis of the 92 families' experiences in the first and second summers revealed two major findings. First, skin damage rates increased from 22 percent in the first summer for 6-month-olds to 54 percent in the second summer for 18-month-olds, despite more than 90 percent of mothers reporting that they routinely used sunscreen in the second summer," the authors write.
"Second, it appears that lack of full protection in the child's second summer rather than increased sun exposure resulted in more sunburning and tanning; that is, use of hats, long-sleeve shirts, and shade dropped substantially for children between ages six months to 18 months in both study groups, despite efforts that consistently publicized total and comprehensive sun protection," write the researchers.
They conclude: "Sun protection habits must be taught as part of routine
preventive health care and in school settings, but bolstered again in
preadolescent and adolescent years, when such habits are known to
deteriorate."
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations@jama-archives.org.