Is your child safe in the sun? asks new sun guide

“YOUR Children and the sun; teach them to enjoy it in safety”, is the title of a guide that is to be distributed all over the island, to make parents more aware about the effects of the sun on their children. The Balearic Parents of Children with Cancer Association (Aspanob) and Palma City Council are joining forces to start this campaign tomorrow.
The campaign is trying to make parents more aware of the fact that they must protect their children from the sun all year round.
The way they are spreading this message is through 15'000 leaflets, which will be distributed to all municipal centres, the suburbs and summer camps.
This sun guide was presented yesterday and the delivery process will begin this weekend, to coincide with the Youth and Sports Fair that is being held this weekend at the Son Moix stadium in Palma. If parents followed the recommendations that have been published in the guide, then 80 percent of skin cancer cases could be avoided, said the psychologist for the association, Jesús Cuartero. The guide recommends that parents protect their children from the sun when they are taking part in sports activites at school and during their break times. It is evident that the sun makes people happier and is a source of health for all, but it has a negative effect on our bodies also, states the guide.
Children younger than 18 years old are more at risk from the sun's rays than any other age group.
The hottest and therefore most dangerous times to be in the sun are between 11am and 4pm.
As a result, the guide recommends that parents control their children's outside activities during these hot hours.
In addition, parents must make sure their children apply a factor 15 sun protection cream if they are going to play outdoors.
This cream should be applied at least 30 minutes before they go out in the sun or onto the beach, and be re-applied after swimming. “It is important that children see that their parents are also protecting themselves from the sun”, advises the guide. “Childen must learn lessons from early age” Children must learn from an early age the good habit of protecting themselves in the sun, said Marina Sans, the councillor for Health and Consumer Affairs in Palma City Council. She was accompanied by the President of the Balearic Parents of Children with Cancer Association, Jaime Coll, and the Councillor for Culture, Education and Sports, Rafel Durán, at the presentation of the guide “Your children and the sun; teach them to enjoy it in safety”. This habit must not only be followed in the summer months, but in fact throughout the whole year, added Marina Sans, as it is true that it is still hot and sunny in the winter months in Majorca. These 15'000 leaflets will be distributed to all the main centres on the island, and hope to reach all families and children with their message.