Pigmented naevi and sun protection behaviour among primary and secondary school students in an Eastern Hungarian city.

BACKGROUND: The most important risk factors for malignant melanoma are skin type I or II, large number of atypical naevi and a history of sunburn in childhood and adolescence.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed to assess skin type, number of pigmented lesions and sun protection behaviour in 1157 12- to 19-year-old Hungarian students at 20 primary and secondary schools in Debrecen, Hungary. After receiving dermatological training, 18 school doctors examined the students' skin. A questionnaire was completed by the students with the assistance of their parents about sun protection, sunburns and the use of sunbed. Data from 612 questionnaires were evaluated.

RESULTS: Based on the doctors' evaluation, most of the pupils were classified as having skin type II and majority of them had 5-20 naevi, particularly on the trunk. Based on the student's response, 5.2% purposely sunbathed daily, 10.1% did not use any form of sun protection, 32.2% wore sun-protective clothing and 65.7% applied sunscreen generally. 6.9% used sunbed, and 74.0% previously experienced serious sunburn at least once. Indoor tanning statistically correlated with the number of melanocytic naevi.

CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of sunburn was reported by the students and some of them did not apply any sun protection methods but used sunbed at a critical age for developing melanoma at a later time. These data highlight the importance of educating children and parents about appropriate sun protection.