[Skin cancer risk factors in childhood: findings of a survey in an Italian area characterized by atypical migration].

Objective: to evaluate the association of different phenotypes with sun sensitivity factors, sun protection behavior and ethnicity in school-age children.

Design: cross sectional study in the framework of a survey of children using a self-administered questionnaire.

Setting And Participants: 35412 children attending primary schools in the provinces of Latina and Rome, located in the Lazio region (Italy), in the 1998-2001 time period.

Main Outcome Measures: Odds Ratios (ORs) and their relative 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI) computed through univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.

Results: "FOTO positive" phenotype, a proxy variable of the fair phenotype, was directly and significantly associated with the tendency to sunburn (OR 4.64; 95% CI 4.39-4.89), the presence of freckles on the face (OR 1.65; 95% CI 1.55-1.77), of naevi on the left forearm (OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.12-1.25), the number of grandparents born in northern areas (OR 1.54; 95% CI 1.15-2.07, for four northern grandparents versus none), the residence in Latina Province (OR 1.13; 95% CI 1.07-1.20) and the use of sunscreens (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.55-1.88). An inverse association was observed with the male sex (OR 0.91; 95% CI 0.86-0.96), the increase of school-class level (OR 0.66; 95% CI 0.61-0.72, for the highest versus the lowest school-class level) and the ability to tan (OR 0.38; 95% CI 0.34-0.42).

Conclusion: These findings confirmed that fairness of phenotype is associated in children with other skin cancer risk factors as well as ethnicity and parents' sun protection behavior.