TUESDAY, Aug 17, 2004 (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.
