UV & Children

It should be noted that pre-cancerous growths (actinic keratoses) and skin cancers can develop many years, even decades, after excessive sun exposure and skin cell injury. It is believed that one bad sunburn in childhood doubles one’s risk for developing skin cancer.

Background Information

Children spend lots of time outdoors during recess, physical education classes, after-school activities, and sports programs. While some exposure to sunlight can be enjoyable and healthy, too much can be dangerous. Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause serious health effects, including skin cancer and other skin disorders, eye damage and cataracts, and immune system suppression. Currently, one in five Americans (who are very sun-conscious) develops skin cancer during their lifetime. Every hour one person dies from this disease. The incidence of melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, is increasing faster than almost every other form of cancer.

You can make a difference! Children are of particular concern since most of the average person's lifetime sun exposure occurs before the age of 18. By educating ourselves and our children about UV-related health effects and the steps for sun protection, we can ensure a healthy future for the next generation.

Without the sun's light and heat, our planet could not support human, animal, or plant life. While necessary for our existence, however, the sun also can threaten our health with its UV radiation. UV radiation comes in several forms (i.e., UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C) that affect human health in different ways. In particular, we must protect ourselves from UV-A and UV-B, which penetrate the Earth's stratospheric ozone layer. Due to the depletion of the ozone layer, increased levels of harmful UV radiation are likely to reach the Earth. These heightened levels may cause the incidence and severity of UV-related health effects to rise. Since the condition of the ozone layer is not expected to improve significantly until the middle of the 21st century, we need to change our sun behaviors now in order to protect our future health.

Many believe that only lighter-skinned people need to be concerned about the effects of overexposure to the sun. Though it is true that darker skin has more natural pigment, which gives a certain amount of added protection, the skin is still susceptible to many of the damaging effects of UV radiation. The incidence of skin cancer is lower in dark-skinned people, but it still occurs and is often not detected until later stages when it is more dangerous. The risk of other UV-related health effects, such as cataracts, premature aging of the skin, and immune suppression, is not dependent upon skin type.

The good news is that UV-related health effects are largely preventable by instituting sun-protection practices early and consistently. Schools and teachers can play a major role in protecting children by teaching sun safety behaviours.

What Every Country Should Have

Because parents, schools, day care centres and teachers have a responsibility in protecting children by providing shade and teaching outdoor sun protection, children should be taught that the relationship between sun and skin cancer is similar to that of tobacco and lung cancer. Melanoma of the skin and metastasis (tumour spread) to internal organs are not any prettier than tobacco-stained, tumour-filled lungs. 

Developing responsible sun attitudes at an early age can eliminate the alarming statistics that continue to increase. Skin Cancer is the most common form of cancer in the US with more than 1 million new cases diagnosed each year. Approximately 92,000 will be melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. 

Every country should have programs similar to the United States' SunWise School Program. SunWise Partner Schools sponsor classroom and school-wide activities that raise children's awareness of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and simple sun safety practices. SunWise is a collaborative effort of schools, communities, teachers, parents, health professionals, environmental groups, meteorologists, educational organizations, and others to develop sustained sun-safe behaviours in schoolchildren.

SunWise is intended to actively engage children in the learning process. Its dual focus on health and the environment will help children develop the skills necessary for sustained SunWise behavior and an appreciation for the environment around them.

SunWise Partner Schools receive materials that facilitate cross-curricular classroom learning. The program also encourages schools to provide a sun-safe infrastructure, including shade structures (e.g., canopies, trees) and policies (e.g. using hats, sunscreen, sunglasses) that promote sun protection in a school setting. Though based in schools, SunWise also supports community partnerships, such as inviting guest speakers to school assemblies, to enhance sun safety efforts.

The SunWise School Program was pilot tested in May 1999 (Phase I) with more testing during the 1999-2000 school year (Phase II). National implementation was for the 2000-2001 school year. Below are the activities of the SunWise Program, which are available to Partner Schools free of charge.

Tools Provided to SunWise Partner Schools

Schools are provided (free of charge) with materials and tools to help them implement the SunWise program. 

The SunWise Tool Kit contains cross-curricular classroom lessons and background information for K-8 learning levels. It consists of a variety of fun, developmentally appropriate activities that combine education about sun protection and the environment with other aspects of learning. It also features suggestions on reaching out to schools and families with sun safety policies, forming community partnerships, making structural changes, and organizing sun safety events. 

An Internet Learning Site and UV Database is also used to make the best use of innovative educational and information-sharing technologies. The Internet Learning Site features drop-down lists, check boxes, radio buttons, and eye-catching icons. Students and teachers can use the site to:

• Report and interpret daily measurements of UV radiation (students enter daily UV data, weather conditions, and information regarding daily sun-protection practices)

• Explore interactive web-based games and activities.

• Link to other educational activities and resources.

Teach Children the Following