Prevalence and factors associated with orolabial lesions in beach workers

• Published in: Revista de saúde pública Vol. 46; no. 6; pp. 1051 - 1057
• Main Authors: Lucena, Eudes Euler de Souza, Costa, Danielle Clarisse Barbosa, Silveira, Éricka Janine Dantas da, Lima, Kenio Costa de
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Brazil 01-12-2012
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Bathing Beaches; Brazil - epidemiology; Female; Humans; Lip Diseases - epidemiology; Lip Diseases - etiology; Male; Occupational Diseases - epidemiology; Occupational Diseases - etiology; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Prevalence; Protective Clothing - statistics & numerical data; Smoking - epidemiology; Sunlight - adverse effects; Sunscreening Agents - therapeutic use; Brazil
• ISSN: 1518-8787

To assess the prevalence and factors associated with orolabial lesions caused by sun exposure in beach workers.
Cross-sectional study with 362 beach workers from five urban beaches in the city of Natal, northeastern Brazil, from August to December 2010. All subjects completed a validated questionnaire to collect personal, occupational, and health-related information and underwent an orolabial clinical examination by trained examiners. Potential associations between sociodemographic, occupational, and health-related variables and the presence of orolabial lesions were assessed using the chi-square test at a 5% significance level. The multivariate analysis was performed using Poisson regression.
Of the 362 workers examined, 27.1% had orolabial lesions. Of these, 76.8% were males, 61.6% dark or black skinned, 94.5% informal workers, and 85.4% reported sun exposure. Most (81.1%) reported using sun protection methods including sunscreen (38.7%), lip balm (15.3%), and cap/hat (72.4%). Twenty-eight percent reported smoking and 48% regular drinking. Sun protection with cap/hat was associated with orolabial lesions caused by sun exposure.
There was found a high prevalence of orolabial lesions in workers exposed to sunlight that was associated with the use of a cap/hat as a sun protection method.