Assessment of sun protection and skin cancer prevention among preschool children.

Objective: To investigate parental care of their children's skin by using sunscreen and physical sun protection methods.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with preschool children in Tubarão, Southern Brazil. Children's parents or caregivers from randomly selected private and public schools were recruited to participate in the study, with the permission of the school directors. A self-report questionnaire was administered to the parents. The tool included data on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, use of sunscreen and physical barriers for sun protection, and timing of sun exposition. Pearson's chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests were used to examine associations between the variables of interest, being significant p<0,05.

Results: 361 children were studied and 228 (63.2%) of them attended public schools. Skin color was predominantly white (78.8%). Of the total, 16 (4.4%) used sunscreen every day and year-round, and 253 (70.1%) were under physical sun protection. White-skinned children used more sunscreen than dark-skinned ones, especially in the summer (p=0.001), and they were more prone to reapply the product (p=0.04). High household income showed a positive association with daily use of sunscreen (p<0.001). Sunscreen reapplication was also associated with children attending private schools (p=0.01).

Conclusions: Findings revealed that the use of sunscreen among preschoolers was incorrect and insufficient.