Swimming Suit Research Articles

Aren’t Athletes Cyborgs?: Technology, Bodies, and Sporting Competitions

Aren’t Athletes Cyborgs?: Technology, Bodies, and Sporting Competitions Rayvon Fouché (bio) In a special edition about the idea and the proliferation of the term “viral,” it is more than appropriate to consider the work of Donna Haraway. I, and I assume many others, first met Donna Haraway in class. For me it was as a graduate student in science and technology studies that I first encountered “A Manifesto for Cyborgs.” The conceptualization of cyborgs as a strange melding of human organic/biological material with any of a multitude of technoscientific artifacts was a new and refreshing intellectual taste that was familiar, but distinctly different from my everyday diet of social constructionist meditations on technological and scientific practice. Haraway’s cyborg theorization has spread like a virus (minus the sickness-inducing pathogens) through academic and nonacademic communities. It is viral in that it has relatively silently and efficiently spread across multiple disciplinary domains. It is also viral because it has been reproduced and replicated so often that its origin has been obfuscated. Thus, in the context of virality of Haraway’s cyborg, is there a place to say anything new? Doubtful. But there may still exist small windows to contemplate splicing cyborg ideas into new places and spaces. This essay will move in this more fruitful direction. That is, how can the concept of “cyborg” be used to intervene and reconceptualize commonly understood notions of gender, bodies, identity, and community? Of course, taken as a whole this is a monumental task. I will take a small slice of the pie and center my discussion on the world of sport and think about the ways the “cyborg myth is about transgressed boundaries, potent fusions, and dangerous possibilities which progressive people might explore as on part of needed political work” (Haraway 1991, 154). [End Page 281] My point of entry may seem a strange departure point, but sport is one locale where cyborg bodies have been not only accepted but also embraced. The rhetoric about freakish bodies producing unnatural performances has been a familiar refrain within commentaries about sport. Yet the popular mythology about sport is that competitions should be fair and in this fairness the best man, woman, or body should win (Magdalinski 2009). But even as the most casual grade school playground kickball participant knows, the world of sport is far from fair and equal. Sport is about creating, exploiting, and maintaining inequalities, or what is more commonly known as competitive advantages. Competitive advantages can be acquired in many ways, but the history of sport in the twentieth century has been about gaining a competitive edge through the use of technoscientific artifacts attached to the body or integrated into the body or a change in body mechanics. In the early 1960s, Dick Fosbury changed the body mechanics of high-jumping by developing a new body technique demanding that a competitor reorient his or her body to the bar. If one views the body as a machine, this new technique can be seen as a technological innovation (van Hilvoorde, Vos, and de Wert 2007). Initially there was concern that Fosbury’s new method of high-jumping undermined the integrity of the event. But the fact that this technique was in theory learnable by all and did not alter or add anything appreciable to the body quelled objections to the “Fosbury Flop.” However, discussions, debates, and legal battles about which artifactual technologies can and should be attached to or used by a body and those technologies that influence the internal dynamics of a body drive much of the popular discourse about technology and sport. The dominant internal technologies fall under the broad category of “doping” (Møller 2010). The sheer invisibility of these technologies is part of what makes them so effective for competitors and troubling for fans and sport governing bodies. External technologies like overly hydrodynamic swimming suits and seemingly erratic balls seen in the 2008 Olympics and the 2010 World Cup, respectively, received many complaints from fans and competitors alike. In general the same concern is raised about external and internal technologies. They are both perceived as unleveling the playing field by sublimating the natural human body to technology. By...

The fractal harmonic law and its application to swimming suit

Decreasing friction force between a swimming suit and water is the key factor to design swimming suits. Water continuum mechanics forbids discontinuous fluids, but in angstrom scale water is indeed discontinuous. Swimming suit is smooth on large scale, but it is discontinuous when the scale becomes smaller. If fractal dimensions of swimming suit and water are the same, a minimum of friction force is predicted, which means fractal harmonization. In the paper, fractal harmonic law is introduced to design a swimsuit whose surface fractal dimensions on a macroscopic scale should be equal to or closed to the water's fractal dimensions on an Angstrom scale. Various possible microstructures of fabric are analyzed and a method to obtain perfect fractal structure of fabric is proposed by spraying nanofibers to its surface. The fractal harmonic law can be used to design a moving surface with a minimal friction.

O efeito de diferentes trajes de natação sobre a performance durante duas intensidades de nado

The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of a swimming suit (fastswim) on technical, psychological and physiological parameters in comparison to a conventional swimming suit (lycra). Eight swiming athletes (between 18 and 25 years-old) were assessed for: mean speed, stroke length, stroke frequency, efficiency index, reported perceived exertion, heart rate and blood lactate. Descriptive (median and interquartile range) and inferential statistics (Wilcoxon test) were applied using a significance level of 5%. During the maximal test wearing the fastswim, subjects presented a 2% higher performance. In addition, efficiency index and reported perceived exertion increased. In sub-maximal intensity, stroke frequency and reported perceived exertion were reduced, while the length of the stroke and the efficiency index were increased. No significant differences were found in the physiological parameters. It was concluded a positive effect of the swimming suit on performance for maximal and sub-maximal speeds..

Retired Biomeds Find Time for New Hobbies, Old Interests

Retired Biomeds Find Time for New Hobbies, Old Interests

인디고를 이용한 아스킨 섬유의 염착특성

Recently, polyester is widely used in textile fabrics due to its application potentials in various fields. It is known that askin fabric is prepared with mainly polyester and is enjoyed with various end uses such as marine clothing, underwear, shirts, swimming suits and so on. For this purpose, color fastness should be considered with great importance during its wet processing step. In this context, vat dyes were very much attracted due to the advantage of superior fastness property. Thus, we have used indigo dye towards askin fabric dyeings and investigated corresponding properties namely, dyeing temperature, concentration of dye, reducing agent amount and alkali amount. The results showed that higher color strengths of indigo dyeing on askin fabric were obtained at , 8% o.w.f, 3g/l, 5g/l, respectively. The color fastness to washing was considerable generally.

A38 スピード水着レーザーレーサーの科学 : 抵抗軽減による世界新記録予想と北京五輪記録との比較(ウォータースポーツ)

25 world records were born in the swimming races of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The swimmer's wear rate of Lazer Racer, a drag reduction swim suit, among the gold medalists was 94%. The effectiveness of the swimsuit was quite apparent The reason of the drag reduction was to reduce the surface viscous friction drag and to reduce the projection cross-sectional area due to its compression effectiveness. Before Beijing Olympic started, expecting new records by these gold medalists with LZR Racer were calculated by dividing a race into two phases, a start & turn phase and a steady propulsive phase, on the assumption that theses gold medalists had the same swimming techniques of the previous world record holders. Although the drag reduction rate used in this calculation was modified according to one of the manufacturer announcement, each expecting new records was an approximate value of the new world records in Beijing Olympics. It was found that the speed increase effect by the swimsuit

Relationships between swim performance, maximal oxygen uptake and peak power output when wearing a wetsuit

This study was intended to investigate the effect of wearing a wetsuit (WS) on physical performance capacity, which are maximal oxygen uptake (V O(2)max) and maximal mechanical power output (POmax), and to demonstrate whether wearing a WS affected the relationship between maximal 400m swim performance (V400) and V O(2)max, and between sprint swim performance (Vsprint) and V O(2)max. Twelve triathletes participated in this study. V O(2)max was determined during the continuous progressive swimming test. The mean velocity over maximal 400m swim was defined as V400. Active drag (AD), Vsprint and POmax were measured by a specific method called "perturbation method". Compared with wearing a swimsuit (SS), V400 was improved without enhancing V O(2)max and Vsprint was also improved without enhancing POmax and AD by wearing a WS. Significant correlations were found between V400 and V O(2)max and between Vsprint and POmax in the both suit conditions, but a higher correlation was found in the WS condition than in the SS condition. These results suggested that improved swim performance from wearing a WS was attributable only to improvement in technical factors, such as propulsion efficiency. In conclusion, during swimming with a WS, performance gain was not associated with physiological factors but with propulsion efficiency related to a gain in buoyancy and to drag reduction. However, when wearing a WS, V400 and Vsprint more reflected the values of V O(2)max and POmax, respectively.

Factors related to the advantageous effects of wearing a wetsuit during swimming at different submaximal velocity in triathletes

This study was designed to compare the effects of wetsuit (WS) to swimsuit (SS) at identical relative velocities in a swimming flume. Thirteen triathletes performed a continuous progressive swimming test and submaximal steady state swimming tests with a WS and with a SS. Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and the associated velocity at which the VO2max was achieved (VVO2max) were determined during the continuous progressive tests. Two 5 min swims (at 60% VVO2max (V(60%)) and 80% VVO2max (V(80%))) were then conducted to measure VO2max, blood lactate concentration (LA), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), the energy cost of swimming (Cs), stroke rate (SR) and stroke length (SL). No difference was found in VO2max, but VVO2max with a WS was 5.4% higher than with a SS. VO2 with a WS was lower than with a SS alone at V(60%), but not at V(80%). Cs with a WS was lower by 14.4% at V(60%) and 7.5% at V(80%) than with a SS. No differences were found in LA and RPE between suit conditions during both submaximal swims. Wearing a WS did not affect SL, but SR tended to be higher in a WS for both submaximal velocities. These results suggest that the benefits of wearing a WS are not only improvement in swimming performance and propulsion efficiency, but reduction in gross energy consumption in the swimming portion of triathlon races. Furthermore, when wearing a WS, incremental changes in SR rather than SL are associated with improved swimming performance.

Safe Abdominoplasty With Extensive Liposuctioning

In a review of the recent literature, liposuction and tumescent fluid injection are accompanied by hazards of ischemia, flap necrosis, and wound dehiscence at the time of abdominoplasty. The problems that generate complaints from patients and dissatisfaction with tummy tuck surgery are: fullness of flanks and epigastric areas, lack of a posterior lumbar curve, hanging skin over the incision line, and visible scars over the flanks and beyond underwear or swimming suit coverage. The purpose of this article is to introduce modalities to perform liposuctioning of the whole abdomen without confronting the danger of ischemia or flap necrosis. Wide lipoaspiration at the time of abdominoplasty and removing the flanks and epigastric fullness result in a shorter incision line and more natural-looking abdomen. In this article, the authors explain their experience using a new method to omit the complications of classic abdominoplasty surgery in 56 cases performed over a 3-year period (2000-2003).

Historical Change and Future of Swimming Suits

Historical Change and Future of Swimming Suits

Effect of short schemes on body composition measurements using Air-Displacement Plethysmography

BackgroundAir-displacement plethysmography (ADP) is becoming a popular method to assess body composition. Several studies have shown certain types of clothing can affect measurements of body density, however no study has specifically investigated the effect of cotton gym shorts and spandex bicycle shorts on body density.MethodsThirty-seven males (23.0 ± 3.2 yr., 177.3 ± 5.4 cm., 74.8 ± 7.5 kg.) and thirty-eight females (23.7 ± 5.3 yr., 163.6 ± 8.4 cm., 57.1 ± 7.0 kg.) had their body density measured by ADP in three clothing schemes: 1) a tight fitting Speedo® swim suit (criterion measure), 2) cotton gym shorts, and 3) spandex bicycle shorts. The clothing was provided by the University of Oklahoma Body Composition Laboratory and the testing schemes were performed in random order.ResultsThe regression of body density by the criterion measure against body density while wearing cotton gym shorts for the entire group (y = 0.001 + 0.991x, SEE = 0.003 g/cm3) and the females (y = 0.059 + 0.934x, SEE = 0.003 g/cm3) did not significantly deviate from the line of identity. However in males the regression significantly deviated from the line of identity (y = 0.052 + 0.944x, SEE = 0.002 g/cm3). Body density by the criterion measure and body density while wearing spandex bicycle shorts did not significantly differ from the line of identity for the entire group (y = -0.018 + 1.013x SEE = 0.003 g/cm3), in males (y = -0.002 + 1.001x, SEE = 0.003 g/cm3), or females (y = 0.073 + 0.925x, SEE = 0.003 g/cm3). Residual plot analysis revealed no group or gender bias in either the cotton gym shorts or in the spandex bicycle shorts.ConclusionIt would appear bicycle spandex shorts are an acceptable alternative to a Speedo® like swim suit, however we advise that subjects adhere to the strict clothing protocol that is recommended by the manufacturer.

Effect of swim suit design on passive drag.

The drag (D) of seven (7) male swimmers wearing five (5) swimsuits was investigated. The drag was measured during passive surface tows at speeds from 0.2 up to 2.2 m x s and during starts and push-offs. The swimsuits varied in body coverage from shoulder-to-ankle (SA), shoulder-to-knee (SK), waist-to-ankle (WA) and waist-to-knee (WK) and briefs (CS). Differences in total drag among the suits were small, but significant. In terms of least drag at 2.2 m x s, the swimsuits ranked: SK, SA, WA, WK and CS. The drag was decomposed into its pressure drag (DP), skin friction drag (DSF) and wave drag (DW) components using nonlinear regression and classical formulations for each drag component. The transition-to-turbulence Reynolds number and decreasing frontal area with speed were taken into account. The transition-to-turbulence Reynolds number location was found to be very close to the swimmers' "leading edge," i.e. the head. Flow was neither completely laminar, nor completely turbulent; but rather, it was transitional over most of the body. The DP contributed the most to drag at low speeds (<1.0 m x s) and DW the least at all speeds. DSF contributed the most at higher speeds for SA and SK suits, whereas DP and DW were reduced compared with the other suits. The decomposition of swimmer drag into DSF, DP and DW suggests that increasing DSF on the upper-body of a swimmer reduces DP and DW by tripping the boundary layer and attaching the flow to the body from the shoulder to the knees. It is possible that body suits that cover the torso and legs may reduce drag and improve performance of swimmers.

The Effects of Triathlon Wet Suits on Physiological Responses and Stroke Parameters during Submaximal Swimming

1150 It has been reported that the velocity at the VO2max ([email protected]) with triathlon wet suits (WS) is higher than swim suits (SS). The physiological parameters with WS might be underestimated when comparing at the same absolute velocities during submaximal swimming. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the effects of WS on physiological and stroke parameters at the same relative swimming velocities, however, there are no data taken these points into consideration. PURPOSE: This study was designed to compare WS with SS at the same relative velocities during submaximal swimming and investigated the differences in physiological responses and stroke parameters. METHODS: Thirteen triathletes (9 male and 4 female) participated voluntarily in this study. Mean velocity of each subject's best record for 400-m swim was 1.22 ± 0.19 m·s-1. Subjects performed each following test with WS and SS, respectively. Firstly, the continuous progressive swimming tests were conducted to measure VO2max, [email protected] and the blood lactate concentration (LA). Secondly, the submaximal swimming tests were conducted at 60%[email protected] (V60) and 80%[email protected] (V80) to measure VO2 and LA. Stroke rate (SR) and stroke length (SL) were determined from the video pictures through the tests. Stroke index (SI) was calculated by multiplying the velocity by the SL. A paired t-test was used to compare between WS and SS. RESULTS: Although there were no differences in VO2max and LA during the progressive tests, [email protected] with WS was higher than SS (1.18 ± 0.16 vs. 1.12 ± 0.15 m·s-1, p<0.01). The lower VO2 were observed with WS at the V60 (29.39 ± 5.48 vs. 32.43 ± 5.94 ml·kg-1·min-1, p<0.001), however there was no difference in LA. There were no differences in both VO2 and LA at the V80. At both velocities, although there were no differences in SR and SL, SI with WS were improved (1.13 ± 0.27 vs. 1.06 ± 0.24, p<0.05 at V60 and 1.63 ± 0.37 vs. 1.54 ± 0.35, p<0.05 at V80). CONCLUSIONS: Wearing WS would improve SI at the same relative velocities during submaximal swimming, however, the decrement of physiological response (VO2) with WS was observed only at the V60 and there was no decrement at the V80 (actual race speed).

DIFFERENCES IN BODY FAT PERCENTAGE MEASURED USING DUAL ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY AND THE BOD POD IN 100 WOMEN

This study was conducted to determine the extent to which body fat percentage (BF%) obtained using the Bod Pod (Pod) differs from BF% derived using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in 100 women ages 35–45 years. Each subject was tested in a one-piece nylon swim suit and a lycra cap was used for all subjects in the Pod. Subjects were first tested in the Bod Pod (Life Measurement Instruments) and then using DXA (Model 4500W, Hologic). Subjects were given a short break between each test and retest. For the Pod assessment, subjects were tested until two BF% measures were within 1% point of each other, then the average of the two measures was used. Lung volume was measured for the first Pod test and the same lung volume was used for subsequent tests. With DXA, only two measurements were taken and the average used no matter the difference between the two measures. Results showed that the mean BF% for the Pod was 30.78 ± 7.92 and 30.35 ± 7.23 for DXA (mean difference = 0.43 ± 2.76; p > 0.05). The mean of the sum of the absolute value of the differences between the DXA and Pod results was 2.06. A total of 85% of the subjects had a mean difference between their Pod and DXA results of less than 4% points; 77% had a difference of less than 3% points; 63% had a mean difference of less than 2% points; and 36% had a mean difference between the two measures of less than 1% point. The Pearson correlation between the Pod and DXA BF% results was 0.94 (p < 0.001) and the intraclass correlation was 0.97 (p < 0.001). When a regression equation was generated using Pod results to predict DXA results, the standard error of estimate (SEE) was 2.5%. Apparently, the Pod and DXA methods produce statistically equal BF% results with most subjects showing less than 2% points difference between the two assessments.

TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY OF BODY FAT PERCENTAGE RESULTS USING DUAL ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY AND THE BOD POD

This study was conducted to determine the test-retest reliability of body fat percentage (BF%) results obtained using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) and the Bod Pod (Pod) in 100 middle-age women (mean age: 40.4 years). Each subject was tested in a one-piece nylon swim suit and a lycra cap was worn in the Pod. Subjects were first tested in the Pod (Life Measurement Instruments) and then using DXA (Model 4500W, Hologic). For both measurement techniques, subjects were given a couple of minutes to stretch between the test and the retest. For the Pod assessment, lung volume was measured during the first test and then the same lung volume was used for the retest. Results showed that the test-retest findings were similar using DXA and the Bod Pod. Using DXA, the test and retest means were statistically equal (DXA 1: 30.29 ± 7.15 and DXA 2: 30.41 ± 7.33; mean difference: 0.12 ± 0.72, p > 0.05). the test-retest means were also statistically equal using the Pod (Pod 1: 30.84 ± 7.98, Pod 2: 30.77 ± 7.97; mean difference: 0.07 ± 1.33, p > 0.05). The mean of the sum of the absolute values of each test-retest difference was 0.41 and 0.81 using DXA and the Pod, respectively. The intraclass correlation between the two DXA tests was 0.999 and also 0.999 for the two Pod tests. Of the 100 subjects, 95 (95%) had less than 1% point difference between their first and second DXA tests. There were 75 subjects who had less than a 1% point difference for the Pod. Similarly, 75 subjects had less than 0.5% point difference between the test and retest using DXA, and 53 had less than 0.5% difference for the Pod. Clearly, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and the Bod Pod methods of assessing BF% are extremely reliable, with the DXA method showing remarkable test-retest stability.

VALIDATION OF AIR-DISPLACEMENT PLETHYSMOGRAPHY WITH HYDROSTATIC WEIGHING: INFLUENCE OF BODY CLOTHING

2000 Few studies have validated air-displacement plethysmography (PM) with hydrostatic weighing (UWW) for the assessment of body density. Additionally, the influence of different types of clothing on the accuracy of % fat by PM needs to be examined because of potential differences in the compressibility of isothermal and adiabatic air. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to validate PM with UWW in 36 young healthy females (29.8±6.2 yr., 165.5±7.8 cm., 63.9±9.9 kg.). UWW using simultaneous residual volume and PM were assessed on the same day, while the Siri equation was used to derive % fat. Different day test-retest SEE was .34% fat for UWW and 1.85% fat for PM. Paired t-test results revealed UWW % fat (29.1%±7.3) was significantly lower (p<.02) than PM% fat (30.1%±7.8), however the R2 was .92 and SEE was 2.06% fat. In addition, in a subset of 15 subjects (28.8±6 yr., 164.8±7.8 cm., 58.7±kg.) who wore a hospital gown (HG) versus a swimsuit (SS) while in the plethysmograph, paired t-test results indicated that the HG% fat (18.7%±6.0) was significantly lower (p<.001) than the SS % fat (26%±5.7). In conclusion, PM overestimated % fat when compared to UWW. However, the overestimation (1%) and the SEE were small. In addition, these findings demonstrate the importance of accounting for isothermal air trapped within clothing fibers when using PM to estimate body fat.

Studies on Reduction of Fluid Drag For Athelete Swimming Suit by Boundary Layer Control.

Sport science progresses step by step in the world. The paper describes, the first, the relationships between fluid drag for a model of woman swimmer and the flow around it. The flow around the model swimmer is very complicated, and includes, for example, wave, some kinds of vortices, hydraulic jumping and so on. The complicated flows are visualized by the surface tufts method and so on. Second, the possibility of the reduction of fluid drag for a woman athlete swimming suit is challenged. The boundary layer control is applied to reduce the fluid drag. The separation occurs around the breast of a woman swimmer. The separation can be suppressed by the boundary layer control. Many beads are distributed on the breast area of a woman swimming suit. As the result, it is found that the fluid drag for the model swimmer can be reduced in a range of 1.5%∼2% by the suit with the boundary layer control, which is carried out by many beads.

A212 低抵抗競泳用水着の開発研究

Today, high class swimming race is competed in the range of 1/100 second. It is important to develop a swimming suit with low drag. This paper describes the relationship between fluid drag and flow pattern around body. The experiment is carried out in water channel by using a woman's artificial model. The model set under the carriage is pulled from 0.75 m/s to 2.02 m/s in water channel. The drag by the difference of water depth and velocity in swimming is explained by flow visualization around the model. Also the drag by the difference of swimming suit in swimming is explained by flow visualization around breast.

Hyperthermia during Olympic triathlon: influence of body heat storage during the swimming stage.

The purpose of this project was to determine whether mild heat stress induced by wearing a wet suit while swimming in relatively warm water (25.4 +/- 0.1 degrees C) increases the risk of heat injury during the cycling and running stages of an International distance triathlon in a hot and humid environment (32 degrees C and 65% RH). Five male triathletes randomly completed two simulated triathlons (swim = 30 min; bike = 40 km; run = 10 km) in the laboratory using a swimming flume, cycle ergometer, and running treadmill. In both trials, all conditions were identical, except for the swimming portion in which a neoprene wet suit was worn during one trial (WS) and a swimming suit during the other (SS). The swim portion consisted of a 30-min standardized swim in which oxygen consumption (VO2) was replicated, regardless of WS or SS. During the cycling and running stages, however, the subjects were asked to complete the distances as fast as possible. Core temperature (Tc) was not significantly different between the SS and WS trials at any time point during the triathlon. However, mean skin temperature (Tsk) and mean body temperature (Tb) were higher (P < 0.05) in the WS at 15 (Tsk = +4.1 degrees C, Tb = +1.5 degrees C) and 30 min (Tsk = +4 degrees C, Tb = +1.6 degrees C) of the swim. These Tsk and Tb differences were eliminated by 15 min of the cycling stage and remained similar (P > 0.05) through the end of the triathlon. Moreover, there were no differences (P > 0.05) in VO2, heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), or thermal sensation (TS) between the WS and SS. Additionally, no significant differences were found in cycling (SS = 1:14:46 +/- 2:48 vs WS = 1:14:37 +/- 2:54 min), running (SS = 55:40 +/- 1:49 vs WS = 57:20 +/- 4:00 min), or total triathlon times (SS = 2:40:26 +/- 1:58 vs WS = 2:41:57 +/- 1:37 min). These data indicate that wearing a wet suit during the swimming stage of an international distance triathlon in 25.4 degrees C water does not adversely affect the thermoregulatory responses of the triathlete on the subsequent cycling and running stages.

Solar protection of children at the beach.

Excessive sun exposure during childhood has been associated with subsequent development of skin cancers. Children have been advised to avoid sun exposure, use protective clothing, and apply sunscreen lotions, but how completely these recommendations are followed has not been studied. To determine the extent of sun protection among children visiting lake beaches, the methods used, and the characteristics associated with more protection. Direct observations of children were linked with concurrent care giver/parent interviews. A total of 871 children 2 to 9 years of age and their parents/care givers at freshwater beaches in 10 small New Hampshire towns during July and August 1995. Protection of the head, torso, and legs according to method used (hats, shirts, pants, sunscreen, or shade). Fifty-four percent of children were protected by at least one method for all three body surface regions, although 17% had no protection for any region. Sunscreen was used either alone or in combination with clothing for at least one region in 79%. Hats were used by 3%, shirts by 22%, and pants to the knee by 49%. Only 12% of observed children were in the shade. The region that was protected most often was the legs for boys (due to swim suit styles) followed by the torso for both sexes. The region most often unprotected was the legs for girls followed closely by the face for both boys and girls. Girls were significantly more likely to have no protection (31.2% female vs 7% male, chi2 83.3) due to better leg protection from swim trunks to the knees popular with boys. Full protection of all three regions was more common for children younger than 5 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, 95% confidence interval, [CI] 1.3-2.5), for children perceived to usually or always burn (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.4-2.7), for children whose parents had more than a high school education (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.3-2.5), and if the parents indicated receiving sun protection information from a school or clinician during the previous year (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.3). Approximately 51.6% of parents recalled receiving childhood solar protection advice in the past year from either their physician, a nurse, or a school/day care setting. Sunscreen provided the most common form of solar protection. Hats and shade were used rarely, and shirts were also underused. Although the sun protection of these children visiting the beach was substantial, nearly half were still not fully protected. Clinician advice within the past year was associated with better protection. Clinicians could increase their influence by providing more specific counseling about how to achieve full protection. Use of multiple methods of protection rather than just sunscreen and full protection rather than protection for just one or two body regions should be emphasized. It is helpful to remind families to protect the regions most frequently omitted from protection: girls' legs and boys' and girls' faces. Advice can be enhanced with patient education materials such as included in the "Slip" (on a shirt), "Slop" (on sunscreen), and "Slap" (on a hat) program developed in Australia and available through the American Cancer Society.