Parental use and educational campaigns on sunbed use among teenagers and adolescents

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of sunbed use among teenagers and the association between familial behavior and the adoption of UV-protective practices in this age group. We also assessed the impact of an educational program on students' knowledge about the potential risks of sunbed use. The educational intervention focused on: (i) skin effects ofUVradiation, (ii) photoaging and photocarcinogenesis, (iii) risk factors for skin cancer, (iv) indoor sun tanning and misleading concepts such as possible protective effect of sunbed use on skin cancer risk, (v) sun protection and relation with skin phototype, and (vi) early diagnosis of melanomausing theABCDEcheck list and the ugly duckling sign. We carried out a survey of 3098 students and found a strong association between parental sunbed use and students' use of the same (P<0.0001). Students who attended the educational intervention were more aware that sunbed use cannot prevent sunburns (P=0.03) than those who did not attend, making adjustments for confounding variables. However, sunbed use by parents influenced the desire to use a sunbed more than participation in the educational intervention (P<0.0001). In conclusion, although our results indicate that educational interventions can improve knowledge of the risk of sunbed use. They also reveal a strong correlation between sunbed use by teenagers and parental behavior that highlights the importance of educational interventions involving families.