Parental sun protection management in preschool children

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