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CHICAGO, Aug 16, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Mothers reported their children had more sunburns and tanning in their second summer compared to the first summer of their lives, U.S. researchers said.
Boston University researchers studied sun protection and sunburn rates for children, as well as the effectiveness of intensive intervention programs and routine counseling for mothers of newborns.
They found the 92 mothers in both the intervention and routine counseling groups had similar decreases in the routine use of sun protection -- such as long-sleeved clothing, sunscreen and shading -- between the first and second summers of a child's life.
Sunscreen use, however, increased 62 percent in the intervention group and 56 percent in the regular counseling group between the first and second summers.
Mothers who reported their child had experienced a sunburn increased their use of protective measures and researchers said a lack of full protection rather than more sun exposure was the cause of the increased skin damage.
Copyright 2004 by United Press International.
