Skin cancer prevention by parents of young children: health information sources, skin cancer knowledge, and sun-protection practices.
OBJECTIVE
To describe and evaluate parents' skin cancer prevention knowledge, sun-protection practices for themselves and their children, and use of health information sources.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
A medium-sized (population 700,000) metropolitan area in the southwestern United States.


METHODS
205 adults, ages 19-56, with children under age 13. Fifty-three percent of the subjects were female, 72% were Caucasian, 22% were Hispanic, 69% were educated beyond high school, and 80% were married.


METHODS
Adults were recruited from the county's randomly selected Superior Court jury pool. Jurors were approached by a researcher and asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire.


METHODS
Parents' levels of sun-protection practices for themselves and their children, skin cancer knowledge, and skin sensitivity to sun; amount of health information parents received from healthcare providers, family and friends, schools, employers, and the media; and parents' perceptions of the information's accuracy, utility, and comprehensibility.


RESULTS
Parents are more likely to practice skin cancer prevention for their children than themselves. Parents' own protection is positively related to protection for children. Parents who were knowledgeable about skin cancer prevention received the most information from healthcare providers and family and friends. Parents who more frequently received information from healthcare providers practiced more prevention strategies.


CONCLUSIONS
Parents need to improve their practices of protecting their children from the sun, particularly by limiting their sun exposure and having them wear protective clothing.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurses in schools, work sites, and healthcare organizations should be active in skin cancer prevention. Nurses can teach parents that children are at risk, encourage parents to teach children to protect themselves, and address barriers to prevention.
Buller
D B
DB
Behavioral Sciences Program, University of Arizona's Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, USA.
Callister
M A
MA
Reichert
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001130:Arizona; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016487:Parenting; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013471:Sunburn / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013473:Sunscreening Agents
D013473:Sunscreening Agents