title: Schoolyard Shade and Sun Exposure: Assessment of Personal Monitoring During Children's Physical Activity.
abstract: Childhood exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a major risk factor for the development of melanoma later in life. However, it is challenging to accurately determine personal outdoor exposure to UVR, specifically erythemally weighted UVR (UVEry), due to technological constraints, variable time-activity patterns, and the influence of outdoor environmental design. To address this challenge, this study utilized mobile and stationary techniques to examine the UVEryexposures of 14 children in a schoolyard in Lubbock, TX, in spring 2016. The aims of the study were to examine the influence of artificial shade on personal UVEryexposures and to assess full sun exposure ratios (ERs) within the same playground microenvironment. On average, personal wrist dosimeters worn during play in the sun measured 18% of the total onsite UVErymeasured by a stationary UV pyranometer. Shade was found to significantly reduce the personal UVEryexposures by 55%, UVB280-315 nmexposures by 91%, and the overall solar radiation by 84%. Substantial benefits can be garnered through focused design of children's recreational space to utilize shade-both natural and artificial-to reduce UVR exposures during play, and to extend safe outdoor stays. Finally, although the wrist is a practical location for a dosimeter, it often underestimates full exposures, particularly during physical activity.
authors.affiliation: Atmospheric Science Research Group, Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.|Climate, Atmospheric Science, and Physical Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.
authors.forename: Jennifer K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Vanos
authors.affiliation: Atmospheric Science Research Group, Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.
authors.forename: Grant R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: McKercher
authors.affiliation: Climate Science Center, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.
authors.forename: Kylie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Naughton
authors.affiliation: Exercise & Sport Psychology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.|KIHU - Research Institute for Olympic Sports, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lochbaum
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D012574:Schools; D013472:Sunlight; D013781:Texas; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D000076251:Wearable Electronic Devices