Researchers at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) have made a troubling discovery. Children of melanoma survivors are not optimally following sun protection recommendations. This is of significant concern because sunburns are a major risk factor for melanoma, and children of survivors are at increased risk for developing the cancer as adults.
A research team led by Beth Glenn, PhD, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) member and associate director of the JCCC Healthy and At-Risk Populations Research Program, accessed data from the California Cancer Registry, which tracks all cases of cancer across the state, to identify and survey 300 melanoma survivors with children aged 17 and younger over a three-year period. The study included both Latino melanoma survivors and non-Latino white melanoma survivors.
For the study, the researchers asked parents about their attitudes towards melanoma prevention, how at risk for melanoma they believed their child to be, and their current use of sun protection strategies for their child. They found that many parents depended on sunscreen to protect their child against sun exposure; furthermore, fewer parents reported that their child wore a hat or sunglasses or sought shade when exposed to the sun. In addition, 43%t of parents surveyed reported that their child experienced a sunburn in the past year.
The study focused on both Caucasian and Latino children of melanoma survivors because Latinos have often not been included in skin cancer prevention research due to a common misconception that sun protection is not important for this group. Dr. Glenn explained, “Sunburns were common among the children in our study despite their elevated risk for skin cancer. Also, children of Latino survivors were just as likely as children of non-Latino white survivors to have experienced a recent sunburn, which highlights the importance of including this group in our work.”
The investigators plan to use the survey results to apply for additional funding to develop an intervention program that combines a text message reminder system with educational materials and activities for both parents and children. The intervention program is designed to aid melanoma survivors in more effective monitoring and adequate protection of their child from ultraviolet radiation. Fr. Glenn explained, “Protecting kids against the sun’s harmful rays at an early age is vitally important. Our goal is to develop an intervention that will help parents protect their children today and help children develop sun safe habits that will reduce their risk for skin cancer in the future.”
