Electronic Sun Journal Versus Self‐report Sun Diary: A Comparison of Recording Personal Sunlight Exposure Methods

Abstract

This research compared personal sunlight exposure times monitored electronically within suburban Australian environments against self-report paper journals for determining the timing and total duration of individual exposure to daily solar radiation. A total of 90 Electronic Sun Journal (ESJ) daily readings and self-report timing and duration estimates of exposure for weekend and weekdays were compared. A Wilcoxon ranked sign test showed a significant difference (V=157, P<0.001) between the duration of exposure recorded electronically and the duration of exposure that was self-reported in a diary. There was also found to be a statistically significant difference between total exposure time measured using both methods for weekends (V=10, P<0.001) and weekdays (V=87, P<0.001). General trends in outdoor exposure timing confirmed that the most frequent daily exposures received over the weekend occurred between 1 and 2h earlier than the most frequent exposures received on weekdays. This preliminary research found that exposure durations as recorded by the ESJ were longer on the weekends compared to weekdays (W=402, P<0.001) and confirmed that the ESJ is a viable alternative to self-reporting diaries.