Abstract:
South Africa receives high levels of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Exposure to UVR has
beneficial and harmful effects, the most common of which are vitamin D synthesis and skin cancer,
respectively. Acute exposure during childhood is a known risk factor for melanoma. In South Africa
where skin cancers account for a third of all histopathologically diagnosed cancers, information on
behaviour patterns and protection use is needed to inform awareness campaigns. Hence, this article
aimed to perform an exploratory, feasibility study on the sun-related behaviours of urban primary
schoolchildren by province. In general, use of sun protection was inconsistent and 52% of children
reported sunburn. Generally, children from schools in the eastern part of the country self-reported
higher incidence of suntan and sunburn compared to the western half. Similarly, children in
Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and North-West tended to use sun protection more often
compared to the remaining provinces, although hat/cap usage and clothing were comparably high in
the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, respectively. Children in the Western Cape had a high
incidence of sunburn and amongst the lowest use of sun protection; this province is also known to
have skin cancer incidence rates as high as those in Australia. While results are not representative of
all of South Africa, they provide some indication that there is much to be done to raise levels of sunrelated
knowledge and tailor safe sun behaviours.
