Only 18 per cent of Kiwis applied sunblock everyday during the warmer months. Photo / Warren Buckland
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in New Zealand but a large number of Kiwis are still failing to be sun-smart in the summer months.
A survey conducted by the Southern Cross revealed 51 per cent of parents admitted their children had been sunburnt during the sunny months.
Over
half of these children were sunburnt while at the beach or at a park. Southern Cross health society chief executive Peter Tynan said the statistics were a worry as New Zealand had some of the highest level of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
"The Skin Cancer foundation say one blistering sunburn in the children adolescence more than doubles a person's chances of developing melanoma, so it pays to be extra careful, especially when dealing with young skin," he said.
The survey also showed parents were not only failing to apply sunblock on their children, they themselves weren't applying it on themselves.
