title: Sun exposure patterns of urban, suburban, and rural children: a dosimetry and diary study of 150 children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sun exposure is the main etiology of skin cancer. Differences in skin cancer incidence have been observed between rural and urban populations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  As sun exposure begins in childhood, we examined summer UVR exposure doses and sun behavior in children resident in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Personal, electronic UVR dosimeters and sun behavior diaries were used during a summer (3.5 months) by 150 children (4-19 years of age) resident in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On school/kindergarten days rural children spent more time outdoors and received higher UVR doses than urban and suburban children (rural: median 2.3 h per day, median 0.9 SED per day, urban: median 1.3 h per day, median 0.3 SED per day, suburban: median 1.5 h per day, median 0.4 SED per day) (p ≤ 0.007). Urban and suburban children exhibited a more intermittent sun exposure pattern than rural children. Differences in UVR exposure doses were from high exposure days (e.g. beach days) outside Denmark. Suburban children had a total UVR exposure similar to rural children (suburban: median 109.4 SED, rural: median 103.1 SED), with days spent abroad contributing greatly to the total UVR exposure dose (total UVR on days spent abroad: suburban: median 48.0 SED, rural: median 8.0 SED).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differences in sun exposure patterns exist between children from different areas and may be the background for higher skin cancer incidences in urban populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. mettebodek@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Mette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bodekær
authors.forename: Bibi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Peter Alshede
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Philipsen
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heydenreich
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thieden
authors.forename: Hans Christian
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Wulf
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011874:Radiometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012424:Rural Population; D013383:Suburban Population; D013472:Sunlight; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult