Students' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Regarding Solar Ultraviolet Exposure in Karachi, Pakistan

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Dermatology
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) poses significant health risks, including skin damage, photo-aging, and malignancies.
• Excessive UVR exposure leads to immediate effects like sunburn and tanning.
• Understanding student knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding UVR is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of university students in Karachi, Pakistan, concerning solar ultraviolet exposure.
• To identify factors associated with inadequate knowledge, negative attitudes, and unsafe practices related to UVR exposure.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 361 university students in Karachi.
• Data collected using a validated structured questionnaire.
• Logistic regression analysis was employed to determine associations between variables, with a p-value <0.05 considered statistically significant.

Main Results:

• 71% of students demonstrated appropriate knowledge, 51% had positive attitudes, and 54% practiced safe behaviors regarding UVR exposure.
• Nearly 69% of participants used sun-protective agents.
• Female gender, third-year students, and the 18-21 age group were significantly associated with inappropriate knowledge, negative attitudes, and unsafe practices, respectively.

Conclusions:

• While knowledge of UVR effects is adequate among students, their attitudes and practices necessitate improvement for effective prevention.
• Enhanced awareness campaigns promoting sun protection behaviors are recommended to mitigate the long-term health consequences of solar UVR exposure.