Sun Safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Farmers in Ede-Oballa, Nigeria

Excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation of the sun poses significant health risks to outdoor workers. Farmers are particularly vulnerable, yet their knowledge and practices regarding sun protection are underreported in low-resource settings.

To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of sun safety among farmers in Ede-Oballa, Nsukka LGA, Enugu State, Nigeria.

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 155 farmers recruited using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using a pretested, semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize responses. Associations between sociodemographic characteristics and sun safety practices were tested using χ ² tests, with significance set at p < 0.05.

Most farmers demonstrated good knowledge of sun protection (89.7%) and held positive attitudes (83.9%) towards sun safety practices. However, actual practice was below average (47.7%), and they showed low willingness to participate in sun safety workshops, possibly due to prior exposure to training/education on sun safety amongst the majority of the farmers (72.9%). Peer influence and perceived inconvenience were key factors affecting behavior. Farmers with tertiary education showed significantly higher sun safety practice levels (p < 0.05), while no significant relationship was found between knowledge and sun safety practices among the respondents, suggesting that knowledge alone may not translate into behavioral change.

Despite high knowledge and positive attitudes, sun safety practices among farmers remain inadequate, hindered by social and practical barriers. Educational interventions should be context-specific, peer-led, and embedded into routine farming activities to enhance adoption of protective behaviors.