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Validating outdoor workers' self-report of sun protection
Sam S Oh1, Joni A Mayer, Elizabeth C Lewis
1Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, Hardy Tower 119, CA 92182-4162, USA.
Preventive Medicine
|September 8, 2004
Summary
Self-reported sun protection behaviors of postal workers were validated against direct observation. Survey instruments accurately measured occupational sun safety practices, showing good to excellent agreement.
Area of Science:
- Occupational health
- Environmental health
- Public health surveillance
Background:
- Limited use of validated instruments for assessing sun safety behaviors.
- Need for reliable methods to measure occupational sun protection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure the validity of self-reported occupational sun protection behaviors.
- To assess the reliability of survey instruments for sun safety.
Main Methods:
- Observational study involving 1,036 postal workers.
- Comparison of self-reported use of protective clothing and sunglasses with observed behaviors.
- Statistical analysis using Kappa values to determine agreement.
Main Results:
- Self-reported behaviors showed significant agreement with observed actions.
- Kappa values ranged from 0.51 to 0.83, indicating good to excellent validity.
- Survey items demonstrated high reliability for assessing sun protection.
Conclusions:
- Survey instruments for recent occupational use of sun-protective items are valid for outdoor postal workers.
- Validated self-report measures can reliably assess sun safety behaviors in occupational settings.