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Children’s sunburn exposed: identification of sun exposure and parental sun protection patterns

  • Clinical Report
  • Published:
European Journal of Dermatology

Abstract

Background

Preventing sunburn in childhood is imperative in the light of skin cancer prevention. To provide directions for targeted interventions, a better understanding of children’s sunburn and associated parental behaviours is necessary.

Objectives

To explore sun exposure and parent-for-child sun protection patterns and their relationship with sunburn experienced in children.

Materials & Methods

An online survey was conducted among parents (n = 1,299) of children (4 to 12 years). Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to identify parental subgroups for children’s sunburn, sun exposure and several sun protection behaviours (i.e. applying sunscreen, clothing, seeking shade) in two sun exposure settings (i.e. planned versus incidental). LCA results were validated by assessing predictions of class membership through several sociodemographic characteristics.

Results

Reported sunburn in the previous year was frequent (>40%). Four latent classes of sunburn-exposure-protection were identified. Overall, the majority of parents reported fair sun protection behaviours. While a low level of protection behaviour was not strongly reflected in lower sunburn rates among the classes, a high level of planned exposure (e.g. going to the beach) seemed to correspond with higher sunburn risk. Parents of younger children and those with more sensitive skin reported sun protection measures more frequently. Older children and those with more sensitive skin experienced more sunburn.

Conclusion

This study contributes to current insight into children’s sunburn, based on parent-proxy reports. Although a clear differentiation in sunburn risk was not found, several variables, relevant for future interventions, were indicated. By further understanding the complexity of children’s sunburn, further research may be directed accordingly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Promotion, School CAPHRI, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands

    Karlijn Thoonen, Francine Schneider, Hein De Vries & Liesbeth Van Osch

  2. Department of Methodology and Statistics, School CAPHRI, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands

    Valeria Lima Passos

Authors
  1. Karlijn Thoonen
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  2. Valeria Lima Passos
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  3. Francine Schneider
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  4. Hein De Vries
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  5. Liesbeth Van Osch
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Correspondence to Karlijn Thoonen.

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Financial support: none. Conflicts of interest: none.

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Thoonen, K., Lima Passos, V., Schneider, F. et al. Children’s sunburn exposed: identification of sun exposure and parental sun protection patterns. Eur J Dermatol 31, 538–548 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1684/ejd.2021.4100

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