{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T12:18:49Z","timestamp":1773058729962,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":57,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773014400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JoF"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Cutaneous fungal infections, specifically tinea pedis, pityriasis versicolor, and tinea unguium (onychomycosis), are common yet under-researched in swimming. This study aimed to evaluate their prevalence and associated risk factors among competitive swimmers in Greece. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was administered to 1047 participants, comprising parents of minor swimmers and adult athletes. Data collected included demographics, infection history, training characteristics, and hygiene behaviors. Results: The overall prevalence was 16% for tinea pedis, 3.2% for pityriasis versicolor and 3.3% for tinea unguium. Infection rates increased significantly with age and cumulative training years. Behavioral analysis revealed that placing towels and clothes on communal benches was associated with tinea pedis (p = 0.031) and pityriasis versicolor (p &lt; 0.007). Sharing kickboards correlated with all three infections, while sharing flip-flops was specifically linked to tinea pedis and tinea unguium. Family history was a strong predictor for pityriasis versicolor. Conclusions: This study highlights the high prevalence of fungal skin infections in Greek swimmers, likely due to moisture exposure, shared equipment, and specific hygiene habits.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jof12030193","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T08:58:45Z","timestamp":1773046725000},"page":"193","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Cutaneous Fungal Infections in Greek Competitive Swimmers: A Cross-Sectional, Self-Reported Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0661-4738","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eleni","family":"Sfyri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health and Care Sciences, University of West Attica, GR-12243 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6316-959X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Niki","family":"Tertipi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health and Care Sciences, University of West Attica, GR-12243 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-0988-0602","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vasiliki-Sofia","family":"Grech","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health and Care Sciences, University of West Attica, GR-12243 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2222-8535","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vasiliki","family":"Kefala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health and Care Sciences, University of West Attica, GR-12243 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8806-281X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Efstathios","family":"Rallis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health and Care Sciences, University of West Attica, GR-12243 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"874","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-4632.2010.04536.x","article-title":"Aquatic sports dermatoses: Part 1. 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