Counseling About Skin Cancer Prevention Among Adolescents: What Do Parents Receive From Health Care Providers?

Purpose: Adolescence is a high-risk period for ultraviolet radiation exposure, a primary cause of skin cancer later in life. We sought to characterize receipt of health care provider-delivered counseling about skin cancer prevention (SCP) among parents of adolescents.& para;& para;Methods: In 2016, we conducted an online survey with a national sample of parents of adolescents aged 11-17 years (n = 1,253). Multi-variable logistic regression assessed correlates of receiving counseling from a health care provider about any of the six skin cancer prevention (SCP) topics.& para;& para;Results: Only half (49%) of parents recalled discussing any SCP topic with their child's provider; the prevalence was highest for sunscreen (39%) and lowest for indoor tanning (3%). Parents had greater odds of receiving counseling if they had a child with more sun-reactive skin (odds ratio [OR] = 1.53); a family history of skin cancer (OR = 1.38); or a higher quality relationship with the provider (OR = 1.47; all p < .05).& para;& para;Conclusions: Greater attention to SCP counseling is needed, especially for exposures such as indoor tanning that remain prevalent among adolescents but are rarely addressed in clinical encounters. (C) 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved.