Hajj Sun Protection Study: Qualitative Research Insights

The PLoS One study on Hajj sun protection, published on November 11, 2026, found that pilgrims and nurses recognized sun exposure as a serious challenge but had limited understanding of ultraviolet radiation, UPF-rated products, and the difference between heat protection and UV protection.

• The researchers interviewed 29 participants, including 16 Saudi pilgrims and 13 registered nurses, between June 20 and July 11, 2025.
• The researchers identified five themes: physical and emotional effects, limited awareness, cultural influences, barriers to protection, and recommendations for improvement.
• The study reported that a prior 2025 study found 26.9% of pilgrims did not use umbrellas in direct sunlight.
• Participants described cost, product availability, physical discomfort, language differences, clothing norms, and spiritual interpretations of hardship as barriers.
• The researchers recommended multilingual pre-Hajj education, affordable protective products, and messages that distinguish heat-related illness from UV-related harm.

The Hajj sun protection study used a qualitative descriptive design to explore awareness, attitudes, and behaviors related to sunscreen, UPF-rated clothing, umbrellas, and ultraviolet exposure. According to Qaladi and colleagues, the researchers conducted retrospective semi-structured Zoom interviews between June 20 and July 11, 2025, within approximately one month of the 2025 Hajj season.

The study included 16 Saudi pilgrims and 13 registered nurses who had worked in hospitals in Makkah and Madinah during Hajj. According to the study authors, researchers assessed thematic saturation separately for pilgrims and nurses, with no new codes emerging during the final two or three interviews in each group.

The researchers transcribed interviews in Arabic or English, translated Arabic transcripts into English, audited a random 20% sample of translated transcripts, and used member checking. The authors analyzed the transcripts in NVivo 12.6 using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis approach, with three researchers independently coding an initial 20% sample.

The study authors identified five major themes. The themes show why qualitative analysis matters for public health: participants did not describe sun exposure only as a biomedical risk, but also as a spiritual, cultural, logistical, linguistic, and emotional experience.

The study found that participants primarily understood sun exposure as a heat problem rather than as two related but distinct risks. Qaladi and colleagues reported accounts of exhaustion, dizziness, dehydration, fainting, and stress, while UV-specific harms such as sunburn and eye irritation were raised less often.

The study found that specialized concepts such as UPF and the UV Index were unfamiliar to many participants. One nurse told the researchers, “Honestly, I have no knowledge about UV-protection products, ” while another said it was the “first time I heard about UPF.”

The study found that participants often assumed ordinary umbrellas, clothing, and coverings provided the same protection as products designed and rated for UV protection. One nurse explained, “I always thought any umbrella would do the job. I never realized that there are umbrellas with special materials to block UV rays.”

The researchers found that culture and religion shaped how participants interpreted protection. Some participants described sun exposure as part of the spiritual hardship of Hajj, while other participants said umbrella use had become more socially accepted. The study therefore presents cultural beliefs as changing influences rather than fixed obstacles.

The study found that nurses and pilgrims emphasized different barriers. Nurses highlighted language differences, limited training, and communication challenges with international pilgrims. Pilgrims emphasized cost, product availability, discomfort, forgetting items, and difficulty finding suitable products before Hajj.

The study authors concluded that health communication should distinguish heat-related illness from UV-related harm. The study links hydration, rest, and cooling with heat prevention, while linking sunscreen and UPF-rated clothing or umbrellas with UV protection.

Public health teams should design Hajj sun protection interventions around distinct behavioral barriers rather than treating awareness as a single variable. The study authors recommended structured education before and during Hajj, multilingual resources, affordable products, and culturally appropriate messages.

• Pre-Hajj education should explain the difference between heat-related illness and UV-related damage because the study found that participants often conflated the two risks.
• Training for nurses should include UV protection, UPF labeling, and communication strategies because the study found that nurses were expected to educate pilgrims despite limited formal training.
• Product interventions should address cost, availability, weight, comfort, and cultural clothing requirements because the study identified these factors as practical barriers.
• Qualitative researchers should compare participant segments because the study found meaningful differences between pilgrim and nurse perspectives.
• Multilingual analysis workflows should preserve meaning during transcription and translation because the study collected interviews in Arabic and English and independently audited 20% of translated transcripts.

The study also demonstrates why frequency alone cannot explain health behavior. A code such as “umbrella use” may appear across many interviews, but thematic and cross-segment analysis can reveal whether participants discuss umbrellas as heat relief, UV protection, a cultural norm, a burden, or an unavailable product.

The Hajj sun protection study shows how qualitative interviews can uncover the cultural, linguistic, economic, and practical reasons behind health behavior. The study’s 29 participants and five themes demonstrate the value of combining thematic analysis with cross-segment comparison and careful multilingual interpretation.

AI-enabled qualitative research can help teams organize similar interview datasets more quickly, compare participant groups, and retrieve evidence for health communication decisions. Researchers should use AI as an analytical support layer, while retaining human oversight of context, ethics, translation, and interpretation.

Explore the interview and document analysis workflow, then try Evidano for free to turn qualitative data into clearer, evidence-based findings.