Parental sun protection management in preschool children

A total of 287 children (5 to 8 years old) were investigated for parental sun protection management techniques in a questionnaire-based survey. We evaluated the parents' knowledge about the risk of melanoma, their level of education, their nationality and the child's skin type with the children's use of sunscreen, clothes and shade. In general, the parents' knowledge about the correlation of skin cancer with extensive sun exposure in childhood was good. There was no correlation bettween the level of parental education and the frequency of sun protection measures. Children of non-German parents had significantly less sun protection. Our results indicate the need for special teaching programs for children in Germany to achieve a more responsible sun protection management.