Objective: Research exists examining sunburn risks, sun protective behaviors, and interventions among pool lifeguards; however, ocean lifeguard research is limited. This study aimed to determine sunburn prevalence and associations between sunburn with photoprotective attitudes and habits among Florida ocean lifeguards.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was electronically administered in 2021 to ocean lifeguards using sun protection questions. Recruitment occurred through three lifeguard agencies. The frequency of self-reported sunburns from the prior season and the opinions and practices related to photoprotection and tanning were obtained.
Results: Complete data were obtained from 77 (37%) of 207 lifeguards who served during the 2020 swimming season (mean [SD] age, 22.9 [8.31] years; 40 male (52.0%) and 37 female (48.0%)). Sunburn was common with only four (5.2%) lifeguards reporting no sunburn. In total, 26 (33.8%) reported five or more sunburns. The median sunburn frequency was three. Reporting three or more sunburns was positively associated with being a teenager (16 to 18 years) (aOR: 14.9, 95% CI 3.5 to 64.2) or young adult (19 to 23 years) (aOR: 6.4, 95% CI 1.6 to 25.2) and having a neutral opinion regarding sunscreen effectiveness (aOR: 4.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 18.7) in logistic regression models.
Limitations: Self-reported sunburns were recalled and not clinically evaluated. Recall, participation, and social desirability biases may have been present.
Conclusion: Ocean lifeguards reported appreciably high rates of sunburn, especially younger lifeguards. Increased photoprotection education, engineering controls, and research are warranted for this occupational group.
Keywords: Sunburn; lifeguard; occupational health; photodermatology; skin cancer; sun protection; sun protective behaviors; tanning; ultraviolet radiation.
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