Sunburns and Sun Protection Behaviors among Male Hispanic Outdoor Day Laborers

Zhaomeng Niu, Mary Riley, Jerod L. Stapleton, Michele Ochsner, Germania Hernandez, Louis Kimmel, Daniel P. Giovenco, Shawna V. Hudson, Denalee O’Malley, Carolina Lozada, Marién Casillas Pabellón, Carolyn J. Heckman and Elliot J. Coups
Additional contact information
Zhaomeng Niu: Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Mary Riley: Medtronic, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
Jerod L. Stapleton: College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Michele Ochsner: Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations, School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Germania Hernandez: New Labor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Louis Kimmel: New Labor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Daniel P. Giovenco: Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
Shawna V. Hudson: Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Denalee O’Malley: Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Carolina Lozada: Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Marién Casillas Pabellón: Interfaith Worker Justice, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
Carolyn J. Heckman: Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Elliot J. Coups: Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: Individuals who work outside are at increased risk for skin cancer due to excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Little is known about UV exposures and sun safety practices of outdoor day laborers, who are disproportionately Hispanic. This study identified the correlates of sunburn and sun protection behaviors in a sample of male, Hispanic day laborers ( n = 175). More than half of the participants (54.9%) experienced one or more sunburns when working during the past summer, and 62.9% reported having one or more symptoms of heat illness. The frequency of engaging in sun protection behaviors was suboptimal, including sunglasses use ( M = 2.68, SD = 1.71), staying in the shade ( M = 2.30, SD = 0.94), wearing sunscreen ( M = 2.10, SD = 1.39), and wearing a wide-brimmed hat ( M = 1.75, SD = 1.32), based on a 5-point scale (1 = never; 5 = always). Lower education level, higher levels of skin sensitivity to the sun, any symptom of heat illness, fewer barriers to wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and not wearing a wide-brimmed hat were associated with a greater number of sunburns. Factors associated with each sun protection behavior varied. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords: UV exposure; sun protection; sunburn; Hispanic; Latino; outdoor day laborers; skin cancer prevention; heat illness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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