title: Sun protection counseling by pediatricians.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We conducted a pilot study in Florida to assess the extent to which caretakers reported sun protection counseling by their physicians. We also sought to determine whether caretakers who reported receiving counseling had more favorable sun protection knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We sampled 100 caretakers who were attending a university pediatric clinic in Florida and obtained 77 responses. We estimated the proportion of respondents who reported receiving sun protection counseling and examined sociodemographic predictors of counseling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty percent of caretakers reported having been counseled by their physician. Sunscreen and avoiding peak sun exposure were the most common items discussed. Among those counseled, 42.9% stated that their child's sun protection habits increased as a result of the counseling. Counseled caretakers had greater sun protection knowledge, were more likely to report regular use of sun protection for their child (68.2% vs 40.9%, P < 0.05), and were more likely to report teaching their children about sun protection (90.9% vs 63.3%, P =.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physician sun protection counseling, while infrequently reported, was associated with more favorable sun protection knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported behaviors of caretakers and their children.
authors.affiliation: University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
authors.forename: Leigh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Davy
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boyett
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weathers
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Roetzheim
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013471:Sunburn / Q000517:prevention & control*