Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2012, 9(3), 916-923; doi:10.3390/ijerph9030916
Article

Relationships of Sun-Protection Habit Strength with Sunscreen Use During Outdoor Sport and Physical Activity

Sheleigh Lawler 1,* email, Liane McDermott 1 email, David O’Riordan 2 email, Kym Spathonis 1 email, Elizabeth Eakin 1 email, Evie Leslie 3 email, Cindy Gallois 4 email, Nadine Berndt 5 email and Neville Owen 6 email
1 Cancer Prevention Research Centre, School of Population Health, The University of Queensland, Herston QLD 4006, Australia 2 Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus, 505 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122, USA 3 Nutrition and Dietetics, Flinders University, Mark Oliphant Building, G.P.O. Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia 4 Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia 5 Department of Psychology, Open University of the Netherlands, P.O. Box 2960, 6401 DL Heerlen, The Netherlands 6 Behavioural Epidemiology, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 25 January 2012; in revised form: 2 March 2012 / Accepted: 5 March 2012 / Published: 15 March 2012
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sunbathing Habits and Skin Cancer)
PDF Full-text Download PDF Full-Text [232 KB, uploaded 15 March 2012 12:22 CET]
Abstract: The objective of this cross-sectional questionnaire study was to assess associations of a self-report index of sun protection habit strength with sunscreen use in sporting environments and outdoor physical activity. Participants (n = 234) in field hockey, soccer, tennis and surf sports in Queensland, Australia, completed a self-administered survey on sun protection during organized sport, and during general outdoor physical activity during 2005/2006. The sun protection habit strength index was dichotomized into two categories. Multinomial logistic regression analyses assessed the associations of low versus high sun protection habit strength with three categories of sunscreen use (no or rare use; inadequate use; and adequate use). Compared to participants with low sun protection habit strength, those with high sun protection habit strength had significantly greater odds of any sunscreen use during organized sport and during general outdoor physical activity. This association was strongest for adequate sunscreen use in both settings. In conclusion, this study suggests that the measure of sun protection habit strength is a potentially useful assessment tool for future sun protection studies.
Keywords: health behavior; public health practice; sun protection habit strength; outdoor physical activity; sunscreen use

Article Statistics

Click here to load and display the download statistics.

Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Lawler, S.; McDermott, L.; O’Riordan, D.; Spathonis, K.; Eakin, E.; Leslie, E.; Gallois, C.; Berndt, N.; Owen, N. Relationships of Sun-Protection Habit Strength with Sunscreen Use During Outdoor Sport and Physical Activity. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2012, 9, 916-923.

AMA Style

Lawler S, McDermott L, O’Riordan D, Spathonis K, Eakin E, Leslie E, Gallois C, Berndt N, Owen N. Relationships of Sun-Protection Habit Strength with Sunscreen Use During Outdoor Sport and Physical Activity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2012; 9(3):916-923.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lawler, Sheleigh; McDermott, Liane; O’Riordan, David; Spathonis, Kym; Eakin, Elizabeth; Leslie, Evie; Gallois, Cindy; Berndt, Nadine; Owen, Neville. 2012. "Relationships of Sun-Protection Habit Strength with Sunscreen Use During Outdoor Sport and Physical Activity." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 9, no. 3: 916-923.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health EISSN 1660-4601 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert