<p>Sun Awareness and Sun Protection Practices</p>

Abstract

Background: The incidence of skin cancer has increased over the past few years, owing to excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Over the past decade, protection against solar radiation has been highly encouraged in numerous public health education campaigns. The adopted sun protection practices include avoiding exposure to the sun, using protective clothing, and applying sunscreen. The aim of this paper was to analyze the awareness and attitudes towards sun protection practices in some regions of the Arabian Peninsula. Objective: The main objective of this study is to estimate the level of sun protection practices and determine the factors that have a significant impact on the level of adoption of sun protection practices by residents in the Arabian Peninsula. Methods: A 35-question self-reporting online questionnaire to evaluate the sun protection measures adopted by the residents was distributed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kingdom of Bahrain. The survey was conducted from January 2018 to May 2019, and a total 830 responses were collected for analysis. The data were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS. The chi-squared test and Spearman's correlation were performed to determine the association of the sun protection level with factors concerning the socio-demographic characteristics, sun sensitivity, health-conscious lifestyle, adopted sun protection measures, and general awareness about the UV index, skin cancer, and vitamin D. Logistic regression classification was applied in developing the empirical model to predict the sun protection level of the residents. Results: Based on the analysis, only 34% of the total 830 respondents use sunscreen and most of the sunscreen users are female. The three most popular sun protection practices are: 1) avoiding exposure to the sun during peak hours, 2) using protective clothing, and 3) using sunglasses. The results indicate that 22% of respondents use a low level of sun protection, 53% use a medium level of protection, while 25% of respondents use a high level of sun protection. Many of the respondents understand that exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer and skin aging, while 54% of the respondents still believe that a suntan can be healthy if sunburn is avoided. Thirty percent of the participants of this study are aware of the UV index, and only 20% of all respondents know the correct meaning of the UV index. The overall predictive accuracy of the constructed logistic regression model is 67%. Based on the results of the logistic regression model, the five most significant factors of the sun protection level are: 1) perception that the sun can cause skin aging, or not, 2) age, 3) awareness of the dangerous effects of sun exposure, 4) income with respect to expenses, and 5) taking the UV index into consideration during exposure to the sun. Conclusion: Most of the respondents are aware about sun protection. However, the sun protection level of the residents is still inadequate. An efficient strategy of increasing the awareness of the effective u...

Predicting sun protection measures against skin diseases using machine learning approaches

“…AlGhamdi et al claimed that about half of the respondents showed awareness about the association of sun exposure with skin cancer risk 12 . A similar result has been found by Al Robaee 14,17 . This awareness level is viewed to be low compared to similar researches conducted in the western population 29 .…”

“…The author also found that only 30% of the participants are conscious of the UV index, and only 20% identified the accurate meaning of the UV index 17 . Based on the several studies about public awareness toward sun protection, 12,14,17,29,67 women are more likely to be familiar with the harmful effects of sun on the skin and take protective measures more appropriately, including sunscreen application. On the other hand, men and residents with low educational levels had more inadequate knowledge.…”

“…Based on a study among the residents in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, only 34% of the respondents use sunscreen, even though 64% believe that sunscreen does not have any harmful effect on the skin 17 . The author also found that 40% of the sunscreen users use a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of more than 30, 24% use a sunscreen with an SPF between 15 and 30, only 5% use sunscreen with an SPF of less than 15, while 31% of sunscreen users are not aware of the SPF of their sunscreen.…”

“…However, public attitude about sun protection manners in these regions has not been well investigated. Some statistical analysis was conducted to understand the public attitude and awareness of sun protection practices in some Arabian Peninsula regions 12,14‐1617 . Several machine learning algorithms can be utilized efficiently for exploring this research area.…”

Awareness & attitude toward sunscreen use and sun protection in Al-Jouf region, Saudi Arabia

“…In Saudi Arabia, due to its climate, skin cancer ranks 9 th cancer among both sexes (Alamri et al, 2016). However, it can be prevented by proper skin protection afforded by protective wear, and the proper use of sunscreens that have an essential role in protection against UV rays (Sultana, 2020). Using sunscreens protects skin from harmful sun rays and subsequent burns.…”