Intervention for Children of Skin Cancer Survivors Can Improve Sun-Protective Behaviors

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For children of skin cancer survivors, a family, lifestyles, actions, and risk education (FLARE) intervention improves sun-protective behaviors but does not offer a lasting reduction in child-reported sunburn, according to a study published online Oct. 7 in JAMA Dermatology.Yelena P. Wu, Ph.D., from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and colleagues examined a telehealth-delivered behavioral intervention for skin cancer prevention among children of skin cancer survivors. Eligible survivors had a confirmed diagnosis of melanoma, and at least one child aged 8 to 17 years with at least one sunburn during the previous year. Overall, 364 survivor-child dyads were assigned to the FLARE intervention or a control condition between April 2020 and October 2023. The primary outcome was occurrence of child sunburn, which was assessed from baseline through two postintervention assessments.The researchers found no significant between-group difference in the rate of sunburn change across time in the intention-to-treat analysis. Child-reported sunburn occurrence was lower in the FLARE group versus the control group at the first postintervention assessment (B = −0.17). Greater increases in child sun-protective behaviors were demonstrated from baseline through the second postintervention assessment in the FLARE group relative to the control group (B = 0.26). For intentional and unintentional tanning, no significant between-group differences were observed."These findings suggest that family-based behavioral interventions can successfully change preventive behaviors but that additional strategies may be needed for those behavioral improvements to translate into sustained reductions in sunburn among children at elevated familial risk of melanoma," the authors write.One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Intervention for Children of Skin Cancer Survivors Can Improve Sun-Protective Behaviors

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