["Sunshine at school": a network for training on sun exposure. Assessment of knowledge among 683 children]

The protection of children from sun exposure appears inadequate. We assessed the knowledge of pre-teenagers, before and after they attended a training session on sun exposure. This investigation was carried out in Orléans and in 5 surrounding cities, from September 2000 to April 2002.

A didactic slide show on sun exposure and photoprotection was presented to 683 children in grade 4 and 5 by a nurse and a dermatologist during 30 informative sessions. The children filled in questionnaires at each training session and then one month later. The questionnaires contained 10 closed questions involving 32 cognitive and behavioral items.

Forty-five percent of the children claimed that they were exposed to the sun more than one hour a day during holidays, 14 p. 100 more than 3 hours a day; 26 p. 100 declared they had never been sunburnt; 46 p. 100 said they had been less than 5 times, 15 p. 100 from 5 to 10 times and 12 p. 100 more than 10 times; 74 p. 100 of the children claimed they enjoyed getting sun-tanned; 80 p. 100 knew that sun exposure could lead to serious diseases, while 73 p. 100 realized that contracting sunburns during childhood increases the risk of subsequent skin cancers; 89 p. 100 knew of the necessity of sun-screen use prior to exposure, 94 p. 100 knew that they help to protect the skin whereas 78 p. 100 knew it must be applied on a regular basis; 77 p. 100 of the children had been informed of the importance of sun protection factor; 92 p. 100 of them were aware of the relevance of a cap and sunglasses for protection from the sun, whereas only 45 p. 100 knew of the need for a tee-shirt.

Our study showed that children are generally aware of the dangers of sun exposure. This might be the result of previously initiated information and prevention campaigns on skin cancers. This study suggests the efficiency of such projects, and the lasting effects of the information received within one month. However, large numbers of children are still overexposed and subsequently suffer from traumas. The appeal of sun embellishment appears to go back to childhood, and should be taken into account from the early stages of childhood in future preventive actions. An efficient policy of education on sun exposure - including teaching tools relevant to each age--still has to be developed.