Habits related to sun exposure among physical education teachers working with water activities

Ultraviolet radiation has been considered one of the most important risk factors for melanoma or nonmelanoma skin cancer. Thus, it has been accepted that professionals working with outdoor activities are at greater risk of developing skin cancer.

To identify sun-exposure habits among teachers of physical education (PE) who work with water activities.

We conducted an observational cross-sectional study with 123 male and female PE teachers aged between 20 and 58 years who have been working with water activities for at least a year using a questionnaire with open and closed-ended questions.

Of the respondents, it was observed that 64.2% work directly exposed to the sun and 13.0% in partially covered pools; out of these, 69.5% do so between 10 am and 4 pm. In the group exposed to the sun, it was found that only 17.9% always protect themselves. Men seem to be less careful, since 14.3% always protect themselves, while 23.1% of the women reported to always protect themselves. However, there were no statistically significant differences.

Based on the data collected, we conclude that the sample investigated may be at risk of developing skin cancer.