title: [Sun protection questionnaire in Buenos Aires adolescent athletes].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Excessive sun exposure is the major environmental factor in the development of skin cancer. Adolescents who play outdoor sports are highly exposed to ultraviolet rays, which will result in cumulative photodamage with a higher risk of developing skin cancer in adulthood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  1) To evaluate sun protection habits in Buenos Aires adolescent athletes. 2) To identify the characteristics of those adolescents who have developed sunburns.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out using a voluntary anonymous written and self-reported survey addressed to adolescent athletes aged 11 to 18 years, who participated in a competitive sporting activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 554 adolescents. The 26% reported to have taken sunscreen to the competition. The 5.2% reported to have used it on a routine basis during training, and the 6.1% while doing sports. The 45% of the adolescents referred that sun protection factor rating was not relevant to them. Males most frequently inclined to believe that a good suntan was synonymous of health and women believed that suntan was synonymous of beauty. Most adolescents (73%) had developed at least one sunburn in the previous summer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, a low compliance with the use of sunscreen was observed in adolescent athletes, despite the high rates of sunburns they had had recently. Nowadays, sun protection campaigns addressed to this age group are urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Niños "Pedro de Elizalde", Argentina.
authors.forename: Jorge A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Laffargue
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Merediz
authors.forename: María M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Buján
authors.forename: Adrián M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pierini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001118:Argentina; D056352:Athletes; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013471:Sunburn / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013473:Sunscreening Agents; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D013473:Sunscreening Agents