The Simulated Ocular and Whole‐Body Distribution of Natural Sunlight to Kiteboarders: A High‐Risk Case of UVR Exposure for Athletes Utilizing Water Surfaces in Sport

Abstract

Kiteboarding is an aquatic sporting discipline that has not yet been considered in the literature to date in terms of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) measurement. Kiteboarders need to look upward and are placed obliquely relative to the horizon when towed behind an overhead kite over a reflective water surface. This research defines the typical body surface orientation of a kiteboarder in motion through video vector analysis and demonstrates the potential risk to ocular and skin surface damage through practical measurement of solar UVR using a manik in model. Video analysis of 51 kiteboarders were made to construct skeletal wireframe s showing the surface orientation of the leg, thigh, spine, humerus, lower arm and head of a typical kiteboarder. Solar UVR dosimeter measurements made using a manikin model demonstrate that the vertex and anterior surfaces of the knee, lower leg, and lower humerus received 89%, 90%, 80% and 63% of the available ambient UVR respectively for a typical kiteboarder who is tilted back more than 15 o from vertical while in motion. Ocular (periorbital) exposures ranged from 56 to 68% of ambient. These new findings show that the anterior skin surfaces of kiteboarders and the eye are at elevated risk of solar UVR damage.

Measured UV Exposures of Ironman, Sprint and Olympic-Distance Triathlon Competitors

“…Wearable polymer film, biological spore and electronic dosimeters have been applied successfully to measure solar UV exposures incident on amateur and professional sportspeople across a range of disciplines and environments [1][2][3]. Unlike instrumentation such as radiometers that may be fixed and mounted to a specific site, personal dosimeters offer a lightweight, cost-effective and convenient measurement tool able to record an exposure over an extended interval of time that can be attached to a location on the body without interrupting the physical mobility of the study subject.…”

Solar Ultraviolet Exposure in Individuals Who Perform Outdoor Sport Activities

“…In addition, electronic UV dosimeters have been utilized [39][40][41][42], and electronic sun journals (ESJ) are available to track cumulative sun exposure [42]. PE quantified by SED can be utilized by researchers to track UV radiation over time, but individual measurements lack external validity due to different dosimeter orientations secondary to posture and varying environmental conditions [47,48]. A more pragmatic calculation for comparing PE between sports is the exposure ratio to ambient (ERTA or ER).…”

“…Since ratio changes can be relatively interpreted over time and across settings, it is a valuable method researchers can use to contrast UV exposure across sporting events in particular. The evolution of these UV radiation measurement technologies and intersport ERTA values is comprehensively described in the reviews of nonoccupational UV exposure by Schmalwieser and Siani [36] and Downs et al [48].…”

“…Finally, we explored approaches used to measure erythemally weighted UV irradiances accumulated over time on research participants based on references from Moehrle's work [38] and additional focused Medline searches utilizing the terms "electronic dosimeters" and "electronic sun journal" [39][40][41][42]. A broader literature and citation search of all UVI measuring techniques yielded further sources [30,35,[43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50]. For all other questions, we used Boolean text query strategies "AND", "OR" on Medline.…”

Sun Exposure during Water Sports: Do Elite Athletes Adequately Protect Their Skin against Skin Cancer?

“…Another interesting area for future research would be to study the anatomical locations of sunburn episodes, to identify which parts of the body need most protection, as done in studies such as the one carried out by Downs et al in kite surfing [41]. We also believe it important to examine the educational background of athletes, to examine whether this might influence the type and frequency of photoprotection used.…”