Sun exposure and health safety practices of high school students in an urban population of Iran

BACKGROUND: Skin cancer attributed to sunlight exposure has an increasing trend worldwide, resulting in increased problems for healthcare services. This study aimed to evaluate the health safety practices of high school students in Saveh, Iran according to a sun protection guideline produced locally for Iran. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was done in 31 government and private high schools of Saveh, a central city of Iran. A sun protection questionnaire was designed in accordance with Iran sun protection guideline which has been developed based on the World Health Organization and US Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. The questionnaire consists of four sections of demographic information, knowledge, attitude, and protection behavior. A total of 504 students were selected by simple random sampling method. Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression analysis were used to assess the correlation between knowledge, attitude and behavior of the participants. RESULTS: The mean score of the students’ knowledge, attitude, and behavior regarding harmfulness of ultraviolet radiation was 50.79 ± 14.64, 60.41 ± 15.04, and 45 ± 11.59, respectively. A significant association was observed between attitude and knowledge, behavior and knowledge as well as attitude. There was a significant correlation between sex and protective behaviors, sex and knowledge (p ≤ 0.001), and education level and knowledge (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: students who protected themselves from sunlight less than others believed that their protection level was adequate. Health concerns related to sun exposure suggest the need for increasing the student’s awareness in sun protection area. As behavior is influenced by cultural aspects, implementation of the current guideline can be effective in reducing the health effects of sun exposure.