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Sun Exposure during Water Sports: Do Elite Athletes Adequately Protect Their Skin against Skin Cancer?

ABSTRACT: Excessive sun exposure is the main avoidable cause of skin cancer. Outdoor sports performed without adequate photoprotection are risky practices in this respect. This study examines whether elite athletes in water sports (specifically surfing, windsurfing, and sailing) take appropriate measures to protect their skin from the sun, and whether there are differences in this respect according to age, gender, or sports discipline. This study is based on a questionnaire-based health survey. World championship competitors completed a self-administered questionnaire on their sun protection and exposure habits, as well as sunburns during the last sports season. In total, 246 participants, with an age range of 16-30 years, completed the questionnaire. Of these, 49.6% used inadequate sun protection. Those who protected their skin appropriately tended to be older than those who did not (average age = 23.28 and 20.69 years, respectively; p = 0.000). There were no significant differences in sun protection habits between male and female athletes. The rate of sunburn was very high (76.7%). A high proportion (22.5%) of participants never used sunscreen. Elite athletes in water sports are at real risk of skin lesions from overexposure to the sun, associated with inadequate photoprotection practices. Campaigns to raise awareness and to promote the early detection of skin cancer should target these risk groups.

SUBMITTER: De Castro-Maqueda G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7832317 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Sun Exposure during Water Sports: Do Elite Athletes Adequately Protect Their Skin against Skin Cancer?

De Castro-Maqueda Guillermo G Gutierrez-Manzanedo Jose V JV Lagares-Franco Carolina C de Troya-Martin Magdalena M

International journal of environmental research and public health 20210119 2

Excessive sun exposure is the main avoidable cause of skin cancer. Outdoor sports performed without adequate photoprotection are risky practices in this respect. This study examines whether elite athletes in water sports (specifically surfing, windsurfing, and sailing) take appropriate measures to protect their skin from the sun, and whether there are differences in this respect according to age, gender, or sports discipline. This study is based on a questionnaire-based health survey. World cham ...[more]

PMID: 33477791

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Project description:Vitamin D does not only influence the musculoskeletal health and mineral homeostasis but it also affects cardiovascular, endocrine, nervous, immune and mental functions, thus it is of considerable importance for both physically active people and elite athletes. However, vitamin D deficiency is common worldwide and results from inadequate endogenous skin synthesis (insufficient ultraviolet B exposure) and diet. To improve the vitamin D status elite athletes often travel to lower latitude during winter. The aim of the study was to evaluate the seasonal vitamin D status in Polish elite athletes according to the sun exposure and oral supplementation. Serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured in the years 2010-2014 in 409 elite athletes, who were divided into the following groups: OUTD-outdoor sports, represented by track and field athletes, who trained in Poland; IND-weightlifters, handball and volleyball players who trained indoors in Poland; SUN-track and field athletes who trained during Polish winter in lower latitude with high sunshine exposure; SUPL-track and field athletes who trained in Poland, had an inadequate vitamin D status (25(OH)D < 30 ng/ml) and were supplemented orally. Inadequate Vitamin D status was observed in 80% of OUTD and 84% of IND athletes in winter, whereas in summer the values amounted to 42% and 83%, respectively. The athletes exposed to sun in winter had significantly higher vitamin D concentration than OUTD group. Oral supplementation improved vitamin D concentration by 45%, whereas winter sun exposure caused its increase by 85%. Except for a few summer months an inadequate status of vitamin D was found in the majority of Polish elite athletes, with the deficiency level being similar to the one observed in non-athletic population. The most serious deficiency was observed in indoor disciplines. Adequate vitamin D status can be achieved by both increased sun exposure, especially in winter, and oral supplementation. Athletes should therefore routinely assess their vitamin D status and be educated how to approach their sunlight exposure, diet and supplementation.

Project description:ObjectivesTo establish the prevalence of back pain in German elite athletes; examine the influence of age, sex, sports discipline and training volume; and compare elite athletes with a physically active control group.MethodsA standardized and validated online back pain questionnaire was sent by the German Olympic Sports Confederation to approximately 4,000 German national and international elite athletes, and a control group of 253 physically active but non-elite sports students.ResultsWe received responses from 1,114 elite athletes (46.5% male and 53.1% female, mean age 20.9 years ± 4.8 years, mean height 176.5 ± 11.5 cm, mean weight 71.0 ± 10.3 kg) and 166 physically active sports students (74.7% male and 24.1 female, mean age 21.2 ± 2.0 years, mean height 180.0 ± 8.0 cm, mean weight 74.0 ± 14.5 kg). In elite athletes, the lifetime prevalence of back pain was 88.5%, the 12-month prevalence was 81.1%, the 3-month prevalence was 68.3% and the point prevalence was 49.0%, compared with 80.7%, 69.9%, 59.0% and 42.8%, respectively in the control group. The lifetime, 12-month and 3-month prevalences in elite athletes were significantly higher than in the control group. Regarding the individual sports disciplines, the prevalence of back pain was significantly higher in elite rowers, dancers, fencers, gymnasts, track and field athletes, figure skaters and marksmen, and those who play underwater rugby, water polo, basketball, hockey and ice hockey compared with the control group. The prevalence of back pain was significantly lower in elite triathletes.ConclusionsBack pain is a common complaint in German elite athletes. Low back pain seems to be a problem in both elite athletes and physically active controls. A high training volume in elite athletes and a low training volume in physically active individuals might increase prevalence rates. Our findings indicate the necessity for specific prevention programs, especially in high-risk sports. Further research should investigate the optimal dose-effect relationship of sporting activity for the general population to prevent back pain.

Project description:Actually, there is scarce literature looking for the relationship between inter-limb asymmetries and performance in youth elite team sports. The main purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationships between inter-limb asymmetries and physical performance in youth elite team-sports players. A secondary objective was to evaluate the presence of between-sexes differences in inter-limb asymmetries in elite youth team sports players. Eighty-one young elite team-sports athletes (age: u-14 to u-18) performed the star excursion balance test in the anterior direction (SEBT ANT), a single leg vertical countermovement jump test (SLCMJ), the one leg hop test for distance (OLHT), a 30 m sprint test, and the V-cut test. Inter-limb asymmetries were calculated for SEBT ANT, SLCMJ and OLHT. Pearson r was used to analyse the relationships between inter-limb asymmetries and physical performance. Results showed significant (p < 0.05) but small (r = 0.26) relationships between SLCMJ asymmetries and 30 m sprint time for the total group. Significant negative correlations with small to moderate magnitude of correlation were also found between SLCMJ asymmetries and SLCMJ performance on the lowest performing limb for the total group (p < 0.05; r = -0.26), males (p < 0.01; r = -0.48) and females (p < 0.05; r = -0.30). Moreover, significant negative correlations with moderate and large magnitude were also present between OLHT asymmetries and OLHT performance on the lowest performing limb for the total group (p < 0.01; r = -0.44), males (p < 0.01; r = -0.56) and females (p < 0.01; r = -0.64). No correlations were observed between asymmetries and either the V-cut test or SEBT ANT performance. No correlation were observed between SEBT ANT asymmetries and physical performance. In addition, when comparing asymmetry values between sexes there were no significant differences in vertical (p = 0.06) and horizontal (p = 0.61) jumping tests. However, there were significant differences in asymmetry between sexes in the ANT SEBT (p = 0.04). In conclusion, the current study indicated that jumping asymmetries were associated with decrements in sprint speed and jumping performance. Therefore, assessing inter-limb asymmetries would be recommended to improve training interventions for youth elite team-sports athletes.

Project description:Background:Executive functions (EFs) not only play an important role in shaping adolescent's goal-directed, future-oriented cognitive skills under relatively abstract, non-affective conditions (Cool EF), but also under motivationally significant, affective conditions (Hot EF). Empirical evidence suggest a link between EF, exercise and physical activity, specifically elite adult athletes appear to outperform amateur athletes in Cool EF; however, no previous studies have examined the relationship between Hot and Cool EFs and impulsivity during the developmentally sensitive period of adolescence comparing different types of sport (open- vs. closed-skills), and levels (elite athletes vs. amateurs). Methods:A total 86 boys and girls between 13 and 15 years of age (mean: 14.0, SD: 0.79) from different sports (track-and-field; team handball) were recruited. Participants were further divided into two groups: (a) 40 elite, and (b) 46 amateur athletes. They completed four Cool EF tasks including Trail-Making Test, Trail-Walking-Test, Flanker task, n-back-task, and one Hot EF task on Game of Dice task. Data on subjective impulsivity (UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale; Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-15) was also collected. Results:There was a significant overall effect for expertise in favor of elite athletes (Wilks' Lambda = 0.61, F(14,69) = 3.19, p = 0.001, ?p2 = 0.393), but no overall main effect for type of sport or an interaction for expertise by type of sport. Specifically, elite athletes showed significantly better performances on dual tasks. For Hot EF, there were no main effects for type of sport, expertise level, training experience or training duration. We also found positive correlations among Cool EF and impulsivity measures, and between Hot EF and Impulsivity, but no significant relationship between Cool and Hot EF. Conclusion:The current understanding of the decisive cognitive abilities does not correspond to sporting reality, so that the tests frequently used are not sensitive enough to distinguish between elite and amateur athletes or different sports. However, it should also be remembered that the factors underlying complex sporting performance are multidimensional and are obviously difficult to trace back to selected partial aspects. Without being able to answer this question conclusively, we proposed a 4-D classification of experimental paradigms, in which we differentiate between tasks of different specificity, between Cool and Hot EF, and between task complexity, and type of sport.

Dataset Information

Sun Exposure during Water Sports: Do Elite Athletes Adequately Protect Their Skin against Skin Cancer?

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Sun Exposure during Water Sports: Do Elite Athletes Adequately Protect Their Skin against Skin Cancer?

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