Qualitative Sun Protection Research: Hajj Lessons

According to the PLOS One study on sun protection during Hajj, pilgrims and nurses recognized sun exposure as a serious challenge but often understood it primarily as a heat problem rather than a distinct ultraviolet radiation risk. The study shows why qualitative analysis is valuable for designing culturally appropriate, multilingual health interventions.

• The PLOS One researchers interviewed 29 people, including 16 Saudi pilgrims and 13 registered nurses, between June 20 and July 11, 2025.
• The PLOS One analysis identified five major themes: physical and emotional effects, limited awareness, cultural influences, barriers to protection, and recommendations for improvement.
• The PLOS One study reports that 26.9% of pilgrims in a cited prior study did not use umbrellas in direct sunlight.
• Participants in the PLOS One study said that UPF-rated clothing and umbrellas were poorly understood, while cost, availability, comfort, language, and clothing norms limited use.
• One pilgrim told the PLOS One researchers, "Everyone knows the sun is harmful, but I don’t think we understand how exactly."

The 2026 PLOS One study found that qualitative interviews reveal the difference between knowing that sunlight is harmful and understanding which protective behavior addresses which risk. Participants described exhaustion, dizziness, dehydration, and fainting, which the authors distinguish from UV-specific effects such as sunburn, eye damage, and cumulative skin damage.

The PLOS One researchers used retrospective, semi-structured interviews conducted through Zoom within approximately one month of the 2025 Hajj season. The researchers interviewed 16 pilgrims and 13 nurses, analyzed the transcripts thematically using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase approach, and assessed saturation separately for each participant group.

The study identified a recurring conceptual gap: participants often treated sun exposure as a heat issue. Hydration, rest, and cooling address heat-related illness, while sunscreen and UPF-rated clothing or umbrellas address ultraviolet exposure. The PLOS One authors therefore recommend that public health messages distinguish heat-related illness from UV-related harm.

Cultural context also shaped behavior. One nurse told the researchers, "Some elderly pilgrims believe enduring the sun is part of the spiritual challenge; they think the harder it is, the greater the reward." The finding suggests that effective communication should work with existing beliefs rather than simply present more technical information.

The study has important limits. The PLOS One researchers included Saudi pilgrims from one Hajj season, relied on recalled self-reports, and did not directly observe behavior during rituals. The findings should therefore inform further research and intervention design, not be treated as statistically representative of all international pilgrims.

Public health teams should treat qualitative findings as implementation evidence because the PLOS One interviews explain why existing advice may fail in practice. Participants pointed to language differences, unfamiliarity with UPF labels, product cost, physical discomfort, forgetfulness, and culturally specific clothing requirements.

Research teams should compare participant segments rather than report only a single overall theme. The PLOS One study found that nurses emphasized systemic and communication barriers, while pilgrims emphasized practical barriers such as cost, comfort, and forgetting protective items.

Health communication teams should test messages that separate heat protection from UV protection. The PLOS One findings indicate that a message about hydration may not communicate the value of sunscreen, UPF-rated clothing, or UV-protective umbrellas.

Researchers should preserve quotations and contextual evidence during analysis. The PLOS One authors used participant quotations to show how knowledge gaps and cultural interpretations appeared in ordinary language, including the statement, "If I had known about UV umbrellas or cooling clothes before, I would’ve brought them for sure."

Multilingual research workflows also require careful quality control. The PLOS One study reports that Arabic interviews were translated into English, and a second bilingual researcher audited a random 20% sample of translated transcripts against the original material.

The 2026 PLOS One study shows how qualitative sun protection research can uncover the beliefs, communication problems, and practical constraints behind health behavior. The study’s 29 interviews produced five themes that would be difficult to capture through behavior counts alone. AI-enabled qualitative research can help teams process comparable interview datasets faster, compare participant segments, and preserve evidence for human review. Researchers working with sensitive health interviews should combine automation with translation checks, reflexivity, participant context, and transparent validation. To analyze interviews and documents with an AI-assisted qualitative workflow, try Evidano for free.