Sun protection and the development of melanocytic nevi in children

Abstract

Childhood sun exposure causes nevi (and melanoma), but there is little evidence regarding the effectiveness of sun protection strategies on the number of nevi. We previously found that boys but not girls receiving a school-based sun protection program had fewer nevi on their backs than controls. Here, we investigated whether specific program components (encouraging children to stay indoors in the middle of the day during summer, to wear clothing while outdoors, and to use sunscreen) were associated with fewer nevi. An observational analysis was done on data from a sun protection trial in 1,623 children in Perth, Australia. The outcome was number of nevi on the back 6 years after baseline, wh..