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JUSTIN THOMAS, FATME ALANOUTI, CAROL CAMPBELL, AND SUMAYA AL AMERI
Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The aim in this study was to develop a Sun Avoidance Inventory (SAI) and then test its factor structure and reliability. The SAI is a culturally grounded self -report measure of the attitudes and behaviors indicative of minimizing direct exposure to the sun. In our study 193 Emirati females completed the SAI. The results of analysis of their responses support the validity of the instrument with 6 domains of avoidance being identified: recreational, occupational, head covering, body covering, and skin tone preference (light or tanned). The most strongly endorsed attitude was that even brief exposure to sun is bad for health and the most strongly endorsed behavior was wearing a niqab (veil) outdoors. In previous studies carried out in the United Arab Emirates elevated levels of vitamin D (VTD) deficiency have been found, especially among females. High scores on the SAI may predict VTD deficiency and in the future researchers could explore the validity of the SAI as a predictor of VTD deficiency and also investigate the potential use of the SAI in multiphase screening procedures for VTD deficiency.
Keywords: sun avoidance, scale construction and validation, United Arab Emirates, women.
Vitamin D (VTD) which can be synthesized in the skin after sun exposure is essential for supporting bone integrity (Holick, 2005). In me past few years a protective role for VTD has also been documented in relation to several chronic morbidities, notably, osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and depression (Barnes, Robson, Bonham, Strain, & Wallace, 2006; Holick & Chen, 2008). In the USA, the healthcare costs associated with VTD deficiency as a consequence of insufficient sun exposure are far higher than the health care costs arising from problems associated with excessive sunlight exposure (Grant, 2007). VTD deficiency has become an insidious cross-generational epidemic in many parts of me world (Barnes et al.).
Despite the Arabian Gulf region's consistently sunny climate, high levels of VTD deficiency have been widely reported (Dawodu et al., 1998; Saadi et al., 2006; Sedrani, Elidrissy, & El Arabi, 1983). In a study conducted at Al- Ain, in me United Arab Emirates (UAE), it was found mat amongst me various Arab populations, 36% of...