Poster #45 - Age Associations with Sun Protection Behaviors and Attitudes in Children with Familial Risk for Melanoma

• In Event: Poster Session 02

Abstract

Melanoma, a deadly skin cancer, can develop later in a person’s life as a result of sun exposure during childhood (Oliviera et al., 2005). Children with a parent with a history of melanoma have a greater risk of developing melanoma during their lifetime (Lee & Diao, 2013). Examining child age and its relationship to sun protection behaviors and perceived risk for melanoma is crucial for understanding the melanoma prevention needs among this at-risk population. For instance, younger children may not understand their risk of melanoma while older children may not receive as much parental assistance with sun protection and may intentionally tan more often. The objective of this analysis is to examine the effect of age on sun protective behaviors and attitudes among children of melanoma survivors.  
We analyzed data collected from 274 biological children of melanoma survivors in Utah who were enrolled into a behavioral intervention study, aged 8 to 17 years (M=13.1, SD=2.6), 93.1% of whom were non-Hispanic White. Self-report surveys were sent to both the child and parent about child ages, beliefs about the risk of developing melanoma, who the children perceived to be responsible for their sun protection, and the children’s sun protection habits (e.g., how often the children wore sunscreen or used shade when outdoors).
Correlational analyses among child-reported data indicated that increasing age was associated with greater avoidance of peak UV hours during weekdays (r=.157, p<.01) and wearing sunglasses, both on weekdays (r=.178, p<.01) and weekends (r=.22, p<.001). However, older children also sunbathed or tanned more often outdoors (r=.19, p<.01) and less often wore shirts that covered their shoulders, both on weekdays (r=-.159, p<.01) and weekends (r=-.158, p<.01). Older children also reported believing they had a greater chance of developing melanoma at some point in their lives (r=.262, p<.001) and were more likely to report that sun protection was their own responsibility (r=-.374, p<.001). In these correlation analyses, age was not related to sunscreen use, sunscreen re-application, wearing long pants or skirts, wearing a hat, staying under shade, and avoiding peak UV hours during the weekend.
We found that as children age, they appear to perceive themselves as having a greater risk for developing melanoma. Despite this belief, older children are less likely to engage in certain forms of sun protection, and they engage in melanoma risk behaviors more than younger children. These findings also suggest that older children from higher-risk families may benefit from interventions addressing the risks of tanning and benefits of protective clothing, and, due to decreased reliance on parents, they may benefit from interventions focused on building independent skills. In contrast, younger children from higher-risk families may benefit from learning about their melanoma risk and from interventions that also include their parent(s). Future studies should address limitations of this study, including lack of geographic and racial diversity as well as the use of self-report, cross-sectional data.

Authors

• Samuel Ellis Hancock, University of Utah
  Presenting Author

• Tammy K Stump, University of Utah

• Michelle K.Y. Chan, University of Utah

• William J Tanguy, University of Utah

• Kenneth P Tercyak, Georgetown University

• Jennifer L Hay, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

• Lisa G Aspinwall, University of Utah

• Kenneth M Boucher, University of Utah

• Pascal R Deboeck, University of Utah

• Douglas Grossman, University of Utah

• Kimberly A Kaphingst, University of Utah

• Sancy A Leachman, Oregon Health & Science University

• Kathleen H Mooney, University of Utah

• Ken R Smith, University of Utah

• Yelena P Wu, University of Utah