Adults who frequently tanned indoors did not follow proper sun protection practices and were less likely to undergo skin cancer screening, says a new study. Alexander H. Fischer, M.P.H., of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and coauthors used 2015 National Health Interview Survey data for a study population of 10,262 non-Hispanic white adults ages 18 to 60 without a history of skin cancer. The analysis was limited to non-Hispanic white adults because of their high prevalence of indoor tanning and high incidence of skin cancer.
‘Women who frequently tanned indoors were less likely to apply sunscreen or wear protective clothing.’
Tweet it Now
Among 10,262 adults (49 percent female), 787 (7.0 percent) reported having tanned indoors within the past year; 3.6 percent reported moderate indoor tanning (1 to 9 times in the past year), and 3.4 percent reported frequent indoor tanning (10 times or more in the past year).According to the results:
In the overall study population, more frequent tanning bed use was associated with poor use of sunscreen, protective clothing, and shade and it was associated with having had multiple sunburns in the past year, according to study results.
Among young people 18 to 34, those who frequently tanned indoors were more likely to report rarely/never wearing protective clothing and rarely/never seeking shade on a warm sunny day compared with those who did not tan indoors.
Women who frequently tanned indoors were more likely to report rarely/never applying sunscreen, rarely/never wearing protective clothing, rarely/never seeking shade and multiple sunburns in the past year compared with women who did not tan indoors. Men who frequently tanned indoors were more likely to rarely/never seek shade seek shade and men who moderately tanned indoors were more likely to rarely/never use protective clothing and to report multiple sunburns in the past year compared with men who did not tan indoors.
Advertisement
Limitations of the study include the self-reported nature of the data.
Advertisement
The study is published in the journal JAMA Dermatology.
Source-Eurekalert