For Release: June 2, 1997
5 p.m. (ET)
Below is a highlight of a study appearing on the June PEDIATRICS electronic pages, the Internet extension of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). To receive the full text of this study and interview contact information, please contact the AAP Division of Public Relations at 847-981-7877 and ask for CE1. The complete study is also available on PEDIATRICS electronic pages at http://www.pediatrics.org.
CHILDREN NEED MORE THAN SUNSCREEN AT THE BEACH
CHICAGO--Parents might think sunscreen alone provides enough protection for their children, but theyre wrong, according to the first large scale study of U.S. children and sun protection. The study is published by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Pediatrics electronic pages. Researchers from Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, N.H., studied 871 children and found only 20 percent wore shirts and 3 percent wore hats, items experts highly recommend to prevent skin cancer. "It is helpful to remind families to protect the regions most frequently omitted from protection ... girls legs and boys and girls faces," the researchers state. They recommend a program developed in Australia that encourages people to "slip" on a shirt, "slop" on sunscreen and "slap" on a hat.
EDITORS NOTE: The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a free brochure on sun safety for children. Readers, viewers or listeners can obtain a brochure by sending a #10 self addressed, stamped envelope to: American Academy of Pediatrics, Dept. C- Fun in the Sun, PO Box 927, Elk Grove Village, IL 60009- 0927.
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EDITORS NOTE: This study appears on the peer-reviewed, scientific electronic pages of the American Academy of Pediatrics, but does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Academy. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 53,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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