Skin cancer risk factors among primary school children: investigations in Western Hungary.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the factors associated with sunburns and with sun protection practice in Hungarian primary school children. METHOD: We investigated children's (the median age: 8, range 5 to 12 years) and parents' assessment of sun sensitivity and sun protection characteristics in cities Gyor and Zalaegerszeg (Hungary) in 2004. This cross-sectional study was part of a programme intended to increase children's and parents' awareness of harmful effects of excessive sunbathing. Analyses were based on 1804 multiple choice questionnaires. RESULTS: At multivariate analysis a significant association between sunburns and fairness of complexion, freckles, use of sunscreens and T-shirts, and higher school-class level was observed. Sunburn was inversely associated with hat-wearing. Parents were more likely to apply sunscreen to children with light eyes and to the younger ones, to protect fair skinned children with T-shirts; to protect males and children with fair skin and light eyes with hats. CONCLUSION: Since environmental factors play an important role in the development of skin cancer, morbidity could be reduced by primary prevention. Sun protection habits should therefore be taught early in life, and parents' behaviour adapted. Phenotype is not only related to sunburns but it also appears to influence parents' sun safety behaviour.

[Establishment and preliminary evaluation of the General Practitioners' Morbidity Sentinel Stations Program in Hungary. Prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and liver cirrhosis]. / Háziorvosi Morbiditási Adatgyújtés Program kidolgozása, elindítása és múködtetése Magyarországon. A magas vérnyomás, cukorbetegség és májzsugor prevalenciája.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To develop, introduce and test a methodology, which provides valid data about the prevalence and incidence of chronic, non-communicable diseases of great public health importance. DESIGN: The School of Public Health, University of Debrecen, Hungary and the National Public Health and Medical Officer Service the first time launched a morbidity sentinel stations network of general practitioners in four counties in Hungary in May 1998. Within the framework of this program the participating general practitioners reported the prevalence data of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, liver cirrhosis, and major malignant diseases at the beginning, and from than on continuously report the incidence of these diseases. The authors built quality assurance into the program at different levels in order to ensure high quality data. PATIENTS: The study population consists of people belonging to the participating general practitioners' practices at any time, selected in a way to represent the eastern and western part of the country as well as the participating practices in the counties (Gyór-Moson-Sopron, Hajdú-Bihar, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Zala) would give a geographically and according to settlement size representative sample of general practitioners in those counties. Eighty general practitioners were approached in the four counties by the county offices and overall 73 of them, 1.4% of the total practices in Hungary (5212), agreed to participate in the study, therefore information can be collected on 1.37% of the Hungarian population's (138,088 people) morbidity status. MAIN RESULTS: The population of practices participating in the program gives a representative sample of the counties population by age and sex. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and liver cirrhosis is high in all the counties involved. In most of the selected diseases the authors have found differences in the prevalence between the eastern and western part of Hungary with higher values in the western counties. The differences were most apparent in the older age groups in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: The development and sustainability of primary care based, sentinel stations type, euroconform morbidity data collection system is undoubtedly justified in Hungary. The collected and thoroughly analysed data provide not only a valid and comprehensive basis to describe some aspects of the health status of the Hungarian population but also gives an opportunity to continuously monitor the changes in morbidity of the selected diseases. Thus, the program serves an important basis for health care capacity building, priority setting and the evaluation of the effectiveness of public health interventions.