Dataset Information

Sunburn-related variables, secular trends of improved sun protection and short-term impact on sun attitude behavior in Italian primary schoolchildren: Analysis of the educational campaign "Il Sole Amico" ("The sun as a friend").

ABSTRACT: Sun protection early in life is an essential issue for primary prevention of skin cancers. The Il Sole per Amico was an educational campaign among 66 Italian primary schools. A total of 12,188 questionnaires were completed at baseline. Overall, 9.4% children reported >1 sunburn during the last year and 44.7% parents a use of sunlamps. Independent factors associated with sunburns were: age, lower level of parents' education, light eye and skin color, freckles, nevi on arms, intense sun exposure during the last year, sporadic use of sunscreens, and parental use of sunlamps. A total of 7280 (59.7%) questionnaires were completed at the end of the educational intervention. No significant difference was documented about behavior between the pre- and post-intervention periods. A significant reduction was instead found in both prevalence of recent sunburns and total number of sunburn episodes after comparison with the data obtained by identical questionnaire in the same geographic areas in the "Sole Si Sole No" project in 2001.

SUBMITTER: Stanganelli I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6946412 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Sunburn-related variables, secular trends of improved sun protection and short-term impact on sun attitude behavior in Italian primary schoolchildren: Analysis of the educational campaign "Il Sole Amico" ("The sun as a friend").

Stanganelli Ignazio I Naldi Luigi L Cazzaniga Simone S Gandini Sara S Magi Serena S Quaglino Pietro P Ribero Simone S Simonacci Marco M Pizzichetta Maria Antonietta MA Spagnolo Francesco F Palmieri Giuseppe G Queirolo Paola P

Medicine 20200101 1

Sun protection early in life is an essential issue for primary prevention of skin cancers. The Il Sole per Amico was an educational campaign among 66 Italian primary schools. A total of 12,188 questionnaires were completed at baseline. Overall, 9.4% children reported >1 sunburn during the last year and 44.7% parents a use of sunlamps. Independent factors associated with sunburns were: age, lower level of parents' education, light eye and skin color, freckles, nevi on arms, intense sun exposure d ...[more]

PMID: 31895765

Similar Datasets

Project description:Sun protection among children is of utmost importance since sunburn in early life is a major risk factor for skin cancer development. Because parents play a vital role in enhancing sun safety among children, this study explored parental perceptions concerning sun exposure, sun protection behaviors, and sunburn in children. Additionally, the context in which children experience sunburn in order to assist the development, optimization, and targeting of sun safety interventions for parents is revealed. A qualitative study design, using a semi-structured interview guide addressing several themes (e.g., sun exposure, sun protection, and sunburn experiences), was used. Data were collected in the Netherlands in the fall of 2019. Parents were recruited via purposive sampling at schools, youth services centers, and social media. Execution, transcription, and coding of the interviews was done by two researchers, using the qualitative analyzing program Nvivo (interrater reliability of d = 0.84). In total, 26 interviews were performed (n = 17 mothers, n = 17 daughters, aged between 4 and 11 years). Parental perceptions and recall of their child's lifetime sunburn were frequent, even though all parents reported using at least one sun protection measure during sun exposure situations and parents seemed often unaware of their child's sunburn. Moreover, parents reported an overreliance on sunscreen, often failing to adequately protect their children's skin. Water-related activities, a lack of shade, and misconceptions regarding UV-index were often related to sunburn. In addition, unexpected sun exposure or longer exposure duration than initially planned were reported as challenging situations. The majority of parents had positive perceptions regarding tanned skin for both themselves as for children. This study provides directions for skin cancer prevention efforts targeted at both parents and their children. Since a lack of knowledge regarding sufficient sun protection measures and sunburn occurrence in various situations was reported, educational efforts are warranted. Additionally, focusing on clothing, shade-seeking, and adequate sunscreen use is recommended to increase children's sun safety. By intervening in the physical environment as well (e.g., providing shady areas), sun protection barriers can be reduced. Lastly, the general positive attitude toward tanned skin evident in this study is certainly worthy of attention in future interventions.

Project description:ImportanceUnderstanding patterns of sun-protective behaviors and their association with sunburn can provide important insight into measurement approaches and intervention targets.ObjectiveTo assess whether decision-based modeling can be used to identify patterns of sun-protective behaviors associated with the likelihood of sunburn and to compare the predictive value of this method with traditional (ie, composite score) measurement approaches.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional study used a nationally representative sample of 31?162 US adults from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey, consisting of household interviews conducted in person and completed by telephone when necessary. Participants included civilian noninstitutionalized US adults. Data were collected from January 1 through December 31, 2015.Main outcomes and measuresThe associations among sun sensitivity, multiple sun-protective behaviors (ie, using sunscreen, seeking shade, wearing a hat, and wearing protective clothing), and sunburn were examined using a ?2 automatic interaction detection method for decision tree analysis. Results were compared with a composite score approach.ResultsIn our study population of 28?558 respondents with complete data (54.1% women; mean [SD] age, 49.0 [18.0] years), 20 patterns of sun protection were identified. Among 15?992 sun-sensitive individuals, those who used only sunscreen had the highest likelihood of sunburn (62.4%). The group with the lowest likelihood of sunburn did not report using sunscreen but engaged in the other 3 protective behaviors (24.3% likelihood of sunburn). Among 12?566 non-sun-sensitive individuals, those who engaged in all 4 protective behaviors had the lowest likelihood of sunburn (6.6%). The highest likelihood of sunburn was among those who only reported sunscreen use (26.2%). The decision tree model and the composite score approach correctly classified a similar number of cases; however, the decision tree model was superior in classifying cases with sunburn (44.3% correctly classified in the decision tree vs 25.9% with the composite score).Conclusions and relevanceThis innovative application of a decision tree analytic approach demonstrates the interactive and sometimes counterintuitive effects of multiple sun-protective behaviors on likelihood of sunburn. These data show where traditional measurement approaches of behavior may fall short and highlight the importance of linking behavior to a clinically relevant outcome. Given the scope of those affected and enormous associated health care costs, improving efforts in skin cancer prevention has the potential for a significant effect on public health.

Dataset Information

Sunburn-related variables, secular trends of improved sun protection and short-term impact on sun attitude behavior in Italian primary schoolchildren: Analysis of the educational campaign "Il Sole Amico" ("The sun as a friend").

Publications

Sunburn-related variables, secular trends of improved sun protection and short-term impact on sun attitude behavior in Italian primary schoolchildren: Analysis of the educational campaign "Il Sole Amico" ("The sun as a friend").

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets