Sun protection, sunburn, tanning, and family factors among melanoma survivors and their minor children

Use of recommended sun protection strategies among minor children of melanoma survivors is suboptimal and as a result, these children receive excess ultraviolet radiation exposure that further increases their melanoma risk. Among a sample of 368 melanoma survivor-child dyads, the relationship between family-focused factors and child sun protection and related outcomes was examined, as well as the relations of family factors with individual sun-protective behaviors. The findings indicated that sun protection, tanning, and sunburn were positively associated between survivors and their children. Certain family-focused factors including parental perceived risk for the child to develop melanoma later in life and problem-solving skills were associated with child melanoma risk and protection outcomes. These factors could be important intervention targets to improve sun protection behavior use and skin cancer risk behavior avoidance among children with a familial risk for melanoma. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04201223).