Sun protection behaviors among children aged 6-18 years old, the role of socioeconomic factors: A cross-sectional study.

Background And Aims: Evaluation of sun protection behavior and related factors in children aged between 6 and 18 years in Isfahan, Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at outpatient pediatric clinics affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran during the summer of 2021. A checklist was designed, and the interviewer used that to gather the required information including children's demographic characteristics, families' socioeconomic data, and sun-protective behaviors in children.

Results: The mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of children was 10.54 ± 3.61. Among the study population, 63.7% of children were male. The most common skin phototypes were II and III (33.5% each). 83.8% of children used at least one method of sun protection (94.5% of girls, 77.6% of boys,  < 0.001). Wearing long-sleeved clothes was the most frequent UV-protection method (48%), while sunscreen application was the least prevalent method (28.1%). Sun protection behaviors were more frequent among urban children (86.7%,  = 0.009) and children with wealthy families (94%,  = 0.035). Sun protection methods were used by most of the children whose mothers applied sunscreen on a daily basis (90.2%,  = 0.002) and all of the children whose mothers held a master's degree or above (100%,  = 0.004).

Conclusion: Children's sun protection behavior is directly associated with demographic characteristics, families' socioeconomic level and maternal usage of sun protection measures. It is necessary to provide information and education about sun protection methods and the risks of excessive sun exposure to families and children, as well as facilitate their access to these.