Golfers' UV exposure, health beliefs and practices, and intention to adopt UV protective clothing.

摘要

Since the major factor of developing skin cancer is associated with excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR), outdoor enthusiasts, such as golfers, need to be focused on for skin cancer prevention messages. This study was divided into two phases: The first phase focused on the cumulative exposure to UVR during golf rounds and protective nature of clothing, and the standardized images of golfers in magazines and in the local pro golf shops; the second phase focused on golfers' health beliefs and practices regarding sun precautions, and its impact on the intention to wear UV specialized shirts.; In Phase I, polysulphone film badges were used to measure personal and ambient exposures to UVR. The experiments were conducted in August and in October, and seven subjects participated in each experiment. Sixteen bandages were placed on the upper body sites over and under the subject's shirts. In both experiments, the shoulder and back sites over the shirts received the greatest UVR exposure, while the back neck and front neck were the two most exposed areas under the shirts. Results of paired sample t-test between the absorbance values of badges over and under the clothing indicated golf shirts significantly reduced UVR exposure in diverse body locations, and summer shirts were less effective in blocking UVR than the thicker fall shirts or UV specialized shirts.; Market research was conducted as a part of phase I to provide the normative looks of golfers photographed in the magazines and general information of golf clothing available in the local pro shops. The most standardized look of golfers found in market research, was the short-sleeved cotton polo shirts. Only a few UV specialized products, such as hats, short-sleeved shirts, or sunglasses, were available at local stores, since the majority of customers was not interested in them.; In phase II, 158 respondents completed a 58-item questionnaire. Ninety-one percent were male, and their age ranged from 16 to 80 years old. About 30% reported using sunscreen on the face and 20% used it on the body. A psychosocial model was proposed based on two theoretical frameworks, the health belief model and Rogers' attributes of innovations. Among the 11 health belief model variables, peer's sun protective behavior was the most important predictor of sun protective actions, followed by susceptibility, marital status, psychological barrier, benefit, and having family members who have skin cancer, explaining 44% of the variance in the regression model. Triability and relative advantage among five attribute variables were significant predictors of intention to adopt UV specialized shirts (R2 = .411). The intention to adopt was also predicted by behavioral barriers, current sun protection behavior, and ethnicity, increasing the explanatory power to 50% of the variances in the proposed model.; The present study suggests that the health belief model variables play an important role in explaining sun protective behavior and intention to adopt the preventive innovation. Suggestions are given for improving UV protection through clothing design as well as educational program design.