Parents anything but sun smart

Parents anything but sun smart

The sun-smart message isn’t fully getting through to parents with over half (51%) admitting their children have been sunburnt, according to a survey by Southern Cross.

The survey into the living habits of Kiwis, conducted by TNS, has revealed the most common places for kids to get sunburnt is the beach or park (55%), school (23%) and home (23%).

Southern Cross Health Society CEO Peter Tynan says this is a worry as New Zealand is home to some of the world’s highest levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and has an already high rate of skin cancer.

In 2014 Southern Cross funded 49,232 skin procedures at a cost of over $41 million.

“The Skin Cancer foundation say one blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than doubles a person's chances of developing melanoma, so it pays to be extra careful, especially when dealing with young skin.”

The survey also showed that:
58% of Kiwis get sunburnt each year – rising to 72% for those under age 40
38% of those under age 30 sunbathe on holiday
22% of males don’t use sunscreen at all

“We know it only takes a few minutes in the sun to get burnt – yet only 26% of people said they use sunscreen at least once a day.

“This could be due to myths about sunscreen causing cancer instead of preventing it, or simply because people are covering up more, or trying to keep out of the sun.”

The survey was conducted on behalf of Southern Cross who is looking into the living habits of Kiwis as part of its sponsorship of the new TVNZ show Kiwi Living.

“We want to get Kiwis motivated and making small changes that pay long term dividends with their health and wellbeing,” says Tynan.

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