AI Qualitative Analysis of Hajj Sun Protection Research

The PLoS ONE study found that Hajj pilgrims and nurses understood sun exposure mainly as a heat problem, while knowledge of UV-specific risks and UPF products remained limited. The study supports multilingual, culturally appropriate education before and during Hajj, alongside more affordable and accessible protective products.

• According to the PLoS ONE study published on November 11, 2026, researchers interviewed 29 people after the 2025 Hajj season: 16 Saudi pilgrims and 13 registered nurses.
• According to the PLoS ONE study, interviews took place by Zoom from June 20 to July 11, 2025, and researchers identified five major themes through thematic analysis.
• According to the PLoS ONE study, saturation was reached after 16 pilgrim interviews and 13 nurse interviews, with the final two to three interviews in each group producing no new codes.
• According to the PLoS ONE study, one nurse said, "Honestly, I have no knowledge about UV-protection products, " illustrating the gap between general sun awareness and detailed UV knowledge.
• According to the PLoS ONE study, participants identified language barriers, cost, product availability, physical discomfort, cultural clothing norms, and spiritual interpretations of hardship as barriers to protection.

The study found that participants described fatigue, dizziness, dehydration, and fainting primarily as consequences of heat, while UV-specific effects such as sunburn and eye irritation were rarely discussed. The PLoS ONE authors emphasized that heat and UV exposure require different preventive actions: hydration, rest, and cooling address heat-related illness, while sunscreen and UPF-rated clothing or umbrellas address UV exposure.

The PLoS ONE study identified five themes: physical and emotional effects of sun exposure; limited awareness and knowledge gaps; cultural and religious influences; practical barriers; and recommendations for improvement. Participants often assumed that any umbrella, garment, or covering offered equivalent protection, even though the study explains that UV protection varies by material and product design.

The study also showed that religious and cultural interpretations influence behavior. One nurse said, "Some elderly pilgrims believe enduring the sun is part of the spiritual challenge; they think the harder it is, the greater the reward." The researchers reported that umbrella use had nevertheless become more socially accepted than in the past.

The PLoS ONE authors recommended structured pre-Hajj education, multilingual communication, better nurse training, and improved access to affordable sunscreen, UPF-rated umbrellas, and culturally appropriate protective clothing. The authors also cautioned that the sample included Saudi pilgrims from one Hajj season, so the findings should not be assumed to represent all international pilgrims.

Public health teams should analyze heat and UV concerns as related but distinct themes rather than treating all sun exposure as one health issue. The PLoS ONE study shows that participants’ language centered on heat symptoms, which could cause interventions to under-address cumulative UV harm.

Qualitative researchers should preserve differences between participant segments during analysis. The PLoS ONE study reported that nurses emphasized systemic and communication problems, while pilgrims focused more on cost, comfort, forgetting items, and product access.

Researchers should also treat translation and cultural context as analytical issues, not merely administrative steps. The PLoS ONE study reported that most interviews were conducted in Arabic, one nurse interview was conducted in English, and a second bilingual researcher audited a random 20% sample of translated transcripts.

AI-assisted analysis can help researchers organize multilingual interviews, compare pilgrims with nurses, identify recurring barriers, and retrieve supporting quotations. Human researchers must still review translations, code meanings, ethical risks, and interpretations, particularly when findings involve religious practice or clinical risk.

The November 2026 PLoS ONE study shows how interviews can reveal the cultural, practical, and communication factors behind sun protection behavior during Hajj. The study’s 29 participants described a clear need to distinguish heat-related illness from UV-related harm and to design education that is multilingual, affordable, and culturally appropriate.

AI-enabled qualitative research can help public health and UX teams move more efficiently from transcripts to themes, segment comparisons, evidence-backed recommendations, and transparent reporting. Researchers should use AI to accelerate synthesis while retaining human review of meaning, translation, ethics, and context.

Teams analyzing interviews, open-ended surveys, or public health documents can try Evidano for free to organize qualitative evidence and turn complex datasets into actionable insight.