ASSESSING CHILDRENS ULTRAVIOLET-RADIATION EXPOSURE - THE USE OF PARENTAL RECALL VIA TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS

Objectives. This study evaluated the validity of a parental report mea sure of children's solar protection behaviors. Methods. Fifty-eight ch ildren had skin color assessed twice with a colorimeter. Between measu rement sessions, parents were interviewed by telephone to assess child ren's indoor-outdoor status and solar protection across 40 hourly inte rvals. Results. Parental report of child's indoor-outdoor status was s ignificantly correlated with the colorimeter values, whereas the use o f sunscreen and protective clothing was not. Conclusions. This measure was feasible for assessing ultraviolet exposure in young children. Th e component that assessed the number of intervals spent outdoors evide nced predictive validity.