Key Insights: Sun Protection Awareness During Hajj

According to the PLoS One study on sun protection during Hajj, qualitative interviews found that pilgrims and nurses recognized sun exposure as a serious concern but had limited understanding of ultraviolet radiation, UPF-rated products, and the difference between heat protection and UV protection.

• The study interviewed 29 people, including 16 pilgrims and 13 registered nurses, between June 20 and July 11, 2025.
• The researchers identified five themes: physical and emotional effects, awareness gaps, cultural influences, barriers to protection, and recommendations for improvement.
• The study found that participants often described sun exposure as a heat problem, while UV-specific effects such as sunburn and eye damage received less attention.
• Participants identified language differences, product cost, limited availability, discomfort, forgetfulness, and clothing norms as barriers to sun protection.
• The researchers recommended multilingual pre-Hajj education, affordable protective products, and culturally appropriate messages that distinguish heat-related illness from UV-related harm.

The November 11, 2026 PLoS One study used a qualitative descriptive design to examine awareness, attitudes, and behaviors related to sunscreen, UPF-rated clothing, umbrellas, and UV protection during Hajj. The researchers conducted retrospective semi-structured interviews through Zoom 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. The researchers analyzed the transcripts thematically using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase approach, while Lincoln and Guba’s criteria guided their assessment of qualitative trustworthiness.

The study identified five major themes. Participants described exhaustion, dizziness, dehydration, and fainting, but the researchers noted that these accounts primarily reflected heat-related illness rather than direct UV effects. Participants also reported limited familiarity with UPF labels and the UV Index.

The study found that cultural and religious interpretations influenced behavior. Some participants viewed enduring sun exposure as part of the spiritual challenge of Hajj, while other participants described umbrella use as increasingly accepted. 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 study also documented a gap between intended and effective protection. One pilgrim said, "I didn’t even know there are special fabrics for blocking UV rays, " illustrating how general awareness of sun risk did not necessarily translate into knowledge about UPF-rated products.

Public health teams should design Hajj sun-safety interventions around distinct heat and UV risks, because the November 11, 2026 PLoS One study found that participants commonly treated sun exposure as a heat problem.

Pre-travel education should explain that hydration, rest, and cooling help address heat-related illness, while sunscreen and UPF-rated clothing or umbrellas help reduce UV exposure. The study’s participants ranked early education as a priority and recommended delivering messages in pilgrims’ native languages before arrival.

Health communication should be culturally responsive rather than assuming that non-use reflects simple lack of concern. The study found that spiritual interpretations, gendered clothing practices, language differences, cost, product availability, and physical comfort all influenced sun-protection decisions.

Qualitative researchers can strengthen intervention design by comparing themes across participant groups. In this study, nurses emphasized communication and system-level barriers, while pilgrims more often emphasized cost, comfort, forgetting protective items, and access.

The study has important boundaries. The researchers interviewed Saudi pilgrims during one Hajj season, so the findings should not be treated as statistically representative of the broader international Hajj population. The researchers also noted that retrospective interviews capture recalled behavior rather than directly observed behavior.

The November 11, 2026 PLoS One study shows that sun protection during Hajj is shaped by more than awareness alone. Heat and UV risks are often conflated, while language, culture, cost, access, clothing, and convenience influence protective behavior.

For qualitative research teams, the study demonstrates the value of comparing participant groups and preserving the relationship between themes and lived experience. AI-enabled analysis can make that comparison faster while leaving interpretation and validation with the research team.

Researchers analyzing interviews, open-ended surveys, or health documents can try Evidano for free to organize qualitative data and explore themes across segments.