Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Novel approach to analysing large data sets of personal sun exposure measurements

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 26, pages 613–620 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Personal sun exposure measurements provide important information to guide the development of sun awareness and disease prevention campaigns. We assess the scaling properties of personal ultraviolet radiation (pUVR) sun exposure measurements using the wavelet transform (WT) spectral analysis to process long-range, high-frequency personal recordings collected by electronic UVR dosimeters designed to measure erythemal UVR exposure. We analysed the sun exposure recordings of school children, farmers, marathon runners and outdoor workers in South Africa, and construction workers and work site supervisors in New Zealand. We found scaling behaviour in all the analysed pUVR data sets. We found that the observed scaling changes from uncorrelated to long-range correlated with increasing duration of sun exposure. Peaks in the WT spectra that we found suggest the existence of characteristic times in sun exposure behaviour that were to some extent universal across our data set. Our study also showed that WT measures enable group classification, as well as distinction between individual UVR exposures, otherwise unattainable by conventional statistical methods.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lucas R, McMichael T, Smith W, Armstrong B . Solar Ultraviolet Radiation: Global Burden of Disease from Solar Ultraviolet Radiation. World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland. 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Lucas R, McMichael A, Armstrong B, Wayne T . Estimating the global disease burden due to ultraviolet radiation exposure. Int J Epidemiol 2008; 37: 654–667.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Lucas R, Norval M, Neale R, Young A, de Gruijl F, Takizawa Y et al. The consequences for human health of stratospheric ozone depletion in association with other environmental factors. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2015; 14: 53–87.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Peterson B, Wulf H, Triguero-Mas M, Philipsen P, Thieden E, Olsen P et al. Sun and ski holidays improve vitamin D status, but are associated with high levels of DNA damage. J Invest Dermatol 2014; 134: 2806–2813.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Elwood JM, Jopson J . Melanoma and sun exposure: an overview of published studies. Int J Cancer 1997; 73: 198–203.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Whiteman DC, Whiteman CA, Green AC . Childhood sun exposure as a risk factor for melanoma: a systematic review of epidemiologic studies. Cancer Causes Control 2001; 12: 69–82.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Holman CD, Gibson IM, Stenphenson M, Armstrong BK . Ultraviolet irradiation of human body sites in relation to occupation and outdoor activity: field studies using personal UVR dosimeters. Clin Exp Dermatol 1983; 8: 269–277.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Rosenthal FS, West SK, Munoz B, Emmett EA, Strickland PT, Taylor HR . Ocular and facial skin exposure to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight: a personal exposure model with application to a worker population. Health Phys 1991; 61: 77–86.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Herlihy E, Gies PH, Roy CR, Jones M . Personal dosimetry of solar radiation for different outdoor activities. Photochem Photobiol 1994; 60: 288–294.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Challoner AV, Corbett MF, Davis A, Diffey BL, Leach JF, Magnus IA . Description and application of a personal ultraviolet dosimeter: a review of preliminary studies. Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 1978; 50: 97–100.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Diffey BL . Sources and measurement of ultraviolet radiation. Methods 2002; 28: 4–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Kimlin MG, Martinez N, Green AC, Whiteman DC . Anatomical distribution of solar ultraviolet exposure among cyclists. J Photochem Photobiol B 2006; 85: 23–27.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Bodekaer M, Petersen B, Phillipsen PA, Heydrenreich J, Thieden E, Wulf HC . Sun exposure patterns of urban, sunburn and rural children: a dosimetry and diary study of 150 children. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2015; 14: 1282–1289.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Craig PS, Diffey BL . A prospective longitudinal study of the outdoor behaviour and symptoms of photosensitive patients. Br J Dermatol 1997; 137: 391–394.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Darlington S, Siskind V, Green L, Green A . Longitudinal study of melanocytic nevi in adolescents. J Am Acad Dermatol 2002; 46: 715–722.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Bauer J, Buttner P, Wiecker TS, Luther H, Garbe C . Risk factors of incident melanocytic nevi: a longitudinal study in a cohort of 1,232 young German children. Int J Cancer 2005; 115: 121–126.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Diffey BL, Gibson CJ, Haylock R, McKinlay AF . Outdoor ultraviolet exposure of children and adolescents. Br J Dermatol 1996; 134: 1030–1034.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Gies HP, Roy C, Toomey S, MacLennan R, Watson M . Solar UVR exposures of primary school children at three locations in Queensland. Photochem Photobiol 1998; 68: 78–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Milne E, English DR, Corti B, Cross D, Borland R, Gies P et al. Direct measurements of sun protection in primary schools. Prev Med 1999; 29: 45–52.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Kimlin M, Parisi A . Usage of real-time ultraviolet radiation data to modify the daily erythemal exposure of primary schoolchildren. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed 2001; 17: 130–135.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Webb AR . Measuring UV radiation: a discussion of dosimeter properties, uses and limitations. J Photochem Photobiol B 1995; 31: 9–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Allen M, McKenzie RL . Enhanced UV exposure on a ski-field compared with exposures at sea level. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2005; 4: 429–437.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. McKinlay AF, Diffey BL . A reference action spectrum for ultraviolet induced erythema in human skin. CIE J 1987; 6: 17–22.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Thieden E, Philipsen PA, Heydenreich J, Wulf HC . UV radiation exposure related to age, sex, occupation, and sun behaviour based on time-stamped personal dosimeter readings. Arch Dermatol 2004; 140: 197–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Munakata N, Ono M, Watanabe S . Monitoring of solar-UV exposure among schoolchildren in five Japanese cities using spore dosimeter and UV-coloring labels. Jpn J Cancer Res 1998; 89: 235–345.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Wright CY, Reeder AI, Bodeker GE, Gray A, Cox B . Solar UVR exposure, concurrent activities and sun-protective practices among primary schoolchildren. Photochem Photobiol 2007; 83: 749–758.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Liley AJ, Liley JB . Analysis of Dosimeter Badge Data. NIWA UV Workshop:: Queenstown. 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Aguiar-Conraria L, Soares MJ . Business cycle synchronization and the Euro: a wavelet analysis. J Macroecon 2011; 33: 477–489.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Ivanov PC, Rosenblum MG, Peng CK, Mietus J, Havlin S, Stanley H et al. Scaling behaviour of heartbeat intervals obtained by wavelet-based time-series analysis. Nature 1996; 383: 323–327.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Stratimirovic D, Milosevic S, Blesic S, Ljubisavljevic M . Wavelet analysis of discharge dynamics of fusimotor neurons. Physica A 2001; 291: 13–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Lillo F, Mantegna R . Variety and volatility in financial markets. Phys Rev E 2000; 62: 6126–6134.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Varotsos C, Kirk-Davidoff D . Long-memory processes in ozone and temperature variations at the region 60○S–60○ N. Atmos Chem Phys 2006; 6: 4093–4100.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Cracknell AP, Varotsos CA . New aspects of global climate-dynamics research and remote sensing. Int J Remote Sensing 2011; 32: 579–600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Lin Y, Franzke CL . Scale-dependency of the global mean surface temperature trend and its implication for the recent hiatus of global warming. Sci Rep 2015; 5: 12971.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Swift N, Hamlin JD, Nield KM, McKenzie RL . Characterisation of AlGaN Detectors for UV Measurements. NIWA UV Workshop: Queenstown. 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Morlet J . Sampling theory and wave propagation. Issues in Acoustic Signal/Image Processing and Recognition In: Chen CH. (ed). NATO ASI Series. Springer-Verlag: Berlin. 1983, pp 233–261.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Grossmann A, Morlet J . Decomposition of Hardy functions into square integrable wavelets of constant shape. Siam J Math Anal 1984; 15: 723–736.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Bračič M, Stefanovska A . Wavelet-based analysis of human blood flow dynamics. Bull Math Biol 1998; 60: 919–935.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Perrier V, Philipovitch T, Basdevant C . Wavelet spectra compared to Fourier spectra. J Math Phys 1995; 36: 1506–1519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Bunde A, Bogachev MI, Lennartz S . Precipitation and river flow: long-term memory and predictability of extreme events In: Sharma AS, Bunde A, Dimri VP, Baker DN. (eds). Extreme Events and Natural Hazards: The Complexity Perspective. American Geophysical Union: Washington, USA. 2013, pp 139–152.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Goupillaud P, Grossmann A, Morlet J . Cycle-octave and related transforms in seismic signal analysis. Geoexploration 1984; 23: 85–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Mallat S, Hwang WL . Singularity detection and processing with wavelets. IEEE Trans Information Theory 1992; 38: 617–643.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Torrence C, Compo GP . A practical guide to wavelet analysis. Bull Am Meteor Soc 1998; 79: 61–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Bashan A, Bartsch R, Kantelhardt JW, Havlin S . Comparison of detrending methods for fluctuation analysis. Physica A 2008; 387: 5080–5090.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Franzke CL . Long-range dependence and climate noise characteristics of Antarctic temperature data. J Climate 2010; 23: 6074–6081.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Ludescher J, Bunde A, Franzke CL, Schellnhuber HJ . Long-term persistence enhances uncertainty about anthropogenic warming of Antarctica. J Clim Dyn 2016; 46: 263–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Mandelbrot B, Wallis RJ . Noah, Joseph and operational hydrology. Water Resour Res 1968; 4: 909–918.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Thieden E . Sun exposure behavior among subgroups of the Danish population. Dan Med Bull 2008; 55: 47–68.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Lock-Andersen J, Wulf H . Non-melanoma skin cancer: the Danish case–control study. Australas J Dermatol 1997; 38: 161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Stratimirovic D, Sarvan D, Miljkovic V, Blesic S . Analysis of cyclical behaviour in time series of stock market returnsar 2015; arXiv:1507.03378v.

  51. Varotsos CA, Melnikova I, Efstathiou MN, Tzanis C . 1/f noise in the UV solar spectral irradiance. Theor Appl Climatol 2013; 111: 641–648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Wright C, Coetzee G, Ncongwane K . Ambient solar UV radiation and seasonal trends in potential sunburn risk among schoolchildren in South Africa. South Afr J Child Health 2011; 5: 35–38.

    Google Scholar 

  53. Vernez D, Milon A, Vuilleumier L, Bulliard JL, Koechlin A, Boniol M et al. A general model to predict individual exposure to solar UV by using ambient irradiance data. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2015; 25: 113–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Green A, Whiteman D, Frost C, Battistutta D . Sun exposure, skin cancers and related skin conditions. J Epidemiol 1999; 9: S7–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

CYW received funding from the National Research Foundation, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the South African Medical Research Council. SB, DS and JA received funding for the research projects no. 171015 and 43007 from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Richard L McKenzie (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) is thanked for the loan of the personal solar ultraviolet radiation monitors. Victoria Nurse and Karlien Linde are acknowledged for facilitating some of the data collection. We acknowledge The Fletcher Construction Company (New Zealand) for participating in the study. All individuals who wore the monitors are thanked for their participation. We thank the editor and two anonymous referees for their comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Suzana M Blesić

  2. Institute for Research and Advancement in Complex Systems, Belgrade, Serbia

    Suzana M Blesić, Đorđe I Stratimirović & Jelena V Ajtić

  3. Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Đorđe I Stratimirović

  4. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Jelena V Ajtić

  5. Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa

    Caradee Y Wright

  6. Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Caradee Y Wright

  7. MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Martin W Allen

Authors
  1. Suzana M Blesić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Đorđe I Stratimirović
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jelena V Ajtić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Caradee Y Wright
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Martin W Allen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Suzana M Blesić.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Blesić, S., Stratimirović, Đ., Ajtić, J. et al. Novel approach to analysing large data sets of personal sun exposure measurements. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 26, 613–620 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2016.43

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2016.43

Keywords

Search

Advanced search

Quick links