Lifetime history of indoor tanning in young people: a retrospective assessment of initiation, persistence, and correlates

Abstract

BackgroundDespite educational and public health campaigns to convey the risks of indoor tanning, many individuals around the world continue to engage in this behavior. Few descriptive studies of indoor tanning have collected information pertaining to the lifetime history of indoor tanning, thereby limiting our ability to understand indoor tanning patterns and potentially target interventions for individuals who not only initiate, but continue to persistently engage in indoor tanning.MethodsIn-person interviews elicited detailed retrospective information on lifetime history of indoor tanning among white individuals (n = 401) under age 40 seen by a dermatologist for a minor benign skin condition. These individuals were controls in a case-control study of early-onset basal cell carcinoma. Outcomes of interest included ever indoor tanning in both males and females, as well as persistent indoor tanning in females - defined as females over age 31 who tanned indoors at least once in the last three or all four of four specified age periods (ages 11-15, 16-20, 21-30 and 31 or older). Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify sociodemographic and lifestyle correlates of ever and persistent indoor tanning in females.ResultsApproximately three-quarters (73.3%) of females and 38.3% of males ever tanned indoors, with a median age of initiation of 17.0 and 21.5, respectively. Among indoor tanners, 39.3% of females and 21.7% of males reported being burned while indoor tanning. Female ever indoor tanners were younger, had darker color eyes, and sunbathed more frequently than females who never tanned indoors. Using unique lifetime exposure data, 24.7% of female indoor tanners 31 and older persistently tanned indoors starting as teenagers. Female persistent indoor tanners drank significantly more alcohol, were less educated, had skin that tanned with prolonged sun exposure, and sunbathed outdoors more frequently than non-persistent tanners.ConclusionsIndoor tanning was strikingly common in this population, especially among females. Persistent indoor tanners had other high-risk behaviors (alcohol, sunbathing), suggesting that multi-faceted behavioral interventions aimed at health promotion/disease prevention may be needed in this population.

Cabines de bronzage : étude des motivations et croyances des utilisateurs et non-utilisateurs dans la population lilloise

“…La forte prévalence de l'utilisation des cabines UV dans notre population peut être expliquée par le faible ensoleillement de la ville de Lille, le phototype clair des habitants et un biais de recrutement. En effet, notre étude, menée en zone urbaine pendant les heures les plus chaudes de [3,14,15,20,21,29]. Il est donc intéressant d'étudier cette population cible.…”

“…En France, 203 cas de mélanome seraient attribuables chaque année à l'utilisation des cabines [1,11]. Après au moins une exposition en cabine de bronzage, le risque relatif de carcinome épidermoïde s'élève à 2,23 (IC [2,14,15]. Parallèlement à l'identification de ces risques, on assiste actuellement à une augmentation du nombre de cabines de bronzage dans un cadre commercial, évalué à 40 000 sur le territoire français, selon une étude de marché dirigée par la Direction générale de la santé en 2011 [16].…”

Tanning bed exposure and multiple early-onset basal cell carcinoma

“…In 2009 the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified UV radiation from tanning lamps as "carcinogenic to humans" (group 1) (37). Despite these warnings, the prevalence of indoor tanning is rapidly increasing, especially among men and women under-35 (9,31). Another alarming finding is the increasingly frequent use of tanning lamps by adolescents and children (38)(39)(40)(41).…”

“…@ C I C E d i z i o n i I n t e r n a z i o n a l i over the last decades, the use of tanning devices has become extremely popular, especially among young people (8,9) and several studies have established a link between ultraviolet radiation and increased risk of both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15). This strong relation led the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009 to classify ultraviolet (UV) radiation as carcinogenic to humans, placing it in the same category as tobacco smoke.…”

SMART: An Internet study of users experiences of synthetic tanning

“…Tanning responses are defined as increased cutaneous pigmentation after solar UV light exposure, and are grounded in protective, reparative and cosmetic functions (O'Leary, Diehl, & Levins, 2014;Prior, Fenwick, & Peterson, 2014). Reasons for tanning and sociocultural influences on tanning are positively associated with appearance orientation in both males and females (Boniol, Autier, Boyle, & Gandini, 2012;Cash, Grasso, & Mitchell, 2005;Lazovich & Forster, 2005;Lostritto et al, 2012;Prior et al, 2014). * Tel.…”