Knowledge and attitudes to vitamin D and sun exposure in elite New Zealand athletes: a cross-sectional study

Nicole Walker,Antony S Edwards,Dane Francis Baker,Phillip Brian Healey,Thomas D Love,Katherine Elizabeth Black,Jillian Haszard

doi:10.1186/s12970-014-0047-6

Nicole Walker, Antony S Edwards + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-014-0047-6

Copy DOI

Abstract

BackgroundSun safety and vitamin D status are important for prolonged health. They are of particular interest to those working with athletes for whom for whom safe sun practices maybe limited.The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe the attitudes of elite New Zealand athletes to both vitamin D and sun exposure.Methods110 elite New Zealand outdoor athletes volunteered to participate in an interview with a trained interviewer. The interviewer asked the athletes questions on their Vitamin D knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding sun exposure as well as their concerns about skin cancer.ResultsAthletes were more concerned about their risk of skin cancer (66%) than their vitamin D status (6%). Although the majority (97%) were aware of Vitamin D and could identify the sun as a source (76%) only 17% could name another source of Vitamin D.Only 10 (9%) reported always applying sunscreen before going out in the sun. No athlete reported reapplying sunscreen every hour and 25 suggesting that they never reapply sunscreen.ConclusionsAthletes are concerned about skin cancer however, their use of sunscreen is not optimal suggesting reapplication of sunscreen could be targeted in order to reduce the risk of sun cancer. Awareness of sources of Vitamin D other than the sun may also need to be improved potentially through educational interventions and possibly in conjunction with sun smart messages.

Highlights

Sun safety and vitamin D status are important for prolonged health
The Vitamin D status of athletes has been described for various athletic populations [1]
Sun safety messages are commonplace in New Zealand and Australia due to the high rates of skin cancer in these countries from sun exposure [8,9,10]

Summary

Introduction

Sun safety and vitamin D status are important for prolonged health They are of particular interest to those working with athletes for whom for whom safe sun practices maybe limited. Outdoor athletes may have a increased risk of skin cancer as they spend many hours training in the sun [11,12,13], are limited in the sun protective clothing they are able to wear [13,14], and often cannot seek shade during training or games, with the effectiveness of sunscreen reduced by sweating [13,15] all factors which increase the risk of skin cancer. It is important to understand an athletes knowledge and concerns for Vitamin D and sun exposure prior to initiating educational programs

Methods

Results

Conclusion