TY - JOUR
T1 - Association of indoor tanning frequency with risky sun protection practices and skin cancer screening
AU - Fischer, Alexander H.
AU - Wang, Timothy S
AU - Yenokyan, Gayane
AU - Kang, Sewon
AU - Chien, Anna L.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported in part by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR), which is funded in part by grant TL1 TR001078 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. Funding for the statistical analysis was supported in part by the National Center for Research Resources and the NCATS of the NIH through grant 1UL1TR001079.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 American Medical Association.
PY - 2017/2/1
Y1 - 2017/2/1
N2 - IMPORTANCE Indoor tanning is prevalent among young adults and women and is associated with increased risk of melanoma. Evidence suggests that indoor tanners may be more inclined to adopt poor photoprotective practices that further increase their risk of skin cancer; however, gaps in the literature exist in young adults and by indoor tanning frequency. OBJECTIVE To examine the association between indoor tanning frequency and behaviors related to skin cancer prevention and to investigate whether these associations vary by age group or sex. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional population-based study of US 2015 National Health Interview Survey data including 10 262 non-Hispanic white adults aged 18 to 60 years without a history of skin cancer. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Rare/never use of sunscreen, protective clothing, shade; multiple sunburns within the past year; previous full-body skin examination. RESULTS Of the 10 262 individuals in our study population (49% female; median age, 39 y), 787 (7.0%) reported having tanned indoors in the past year. Among individuals aged 18 to 34 years, frequent indoor tanners (10 times in the past year) were more likely to report never/rare use of protective clothing (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 1.28; 95%CI, 1.10-1.49) and shade (aPR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.03-1.70), compared with individuals who did not tan indoors. Among women aged 18 to 60 years, those who frequently tanned indoors were more likely to rarely/never use sunscreen (aPR, 1.34; 95%CI, 1.11-1.62), protective clothing (aPR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.15-1.42), and shade (aPR, 1.54; 95%CI, 1.25-1.90) on a warm sunny day, as well as more likely to report multiple sunburns in the past year (aPR, 1.21; 95%CI, 1.00-1.45) compared with those who did not tan indoors. Individuals who tanned indoors in the past year were not significantly more likely to have undergone a previous full-body skin examination in any subpopulation examined. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Individuals who tan indoors often exhibited a concurrent tendency to sunburn, avoid sun protection, and avoid skin cancer screening. Thus, the findings highlight that in addition to tanning bed avoidance, it is critical to emphasize sun protection and skin cancer screening in individuals who tan indoors.
AB - IMPORTANCE Indoor tanning is prevalent among young adults and women and is associated with increased risk of melanoma. Evidence suggests that indoor tanners may be more inclined to adopt poor photoprotective practices that further increase their risk of skin cancer; however, gaps in the literature exist in young adults and by indoor tanning frequency. OBJECTIVE To examine the association between indoor tanning frequency and behaviors related to skin cancer prevention and to investigate whether these associations vary by age group or sex. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional population-based study of US 2015 National Health Interview Survey data including 10 262 non-Hispanic white adults aged 18 to 60 years without a history of skin cancer. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Rare/never use of sunscreen, protective clothing, shade; multiple sunburns within the past year; previous full-body skin examination. RESULTS Of the 10 262 individuals in our study population (49% female; median age, 39 y), 787 (7.0%) reported having tanned indoors in the past year. Among individuals aged 18 to 34 years, frequent indoor tanners (10 times in the past year) were more likely to report never/rare use of protective clothing (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 1.28; 95%CI, 1.10-1.49) and shade (aPR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.03-1.70), compared with individuals who did not tan indoors. Among women aged 18 to 60 years, those who frequently tanned indoors were more likely to rarely/never use sunscreen (aPR, 1.34; 95%CI, 1.11-1.62), protective clothing (aPR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.15-1.42), and shade (aPR, 1.54; 95%CI, 1.25-1.90) on a warm sunny day, as well as more likely to report multiple sunburns in the past year (aPR, 1.21; 95%CI, 1.00-1.45) compared with those who did not tan indoors. Individuals who tanned indoors in the past year were not significantly more likely to have undergone a previous full-body skin examination in any subpopulation examined. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Individuals who tan indoors often exhibited a concurrent tendency to sunburn, avoid sun protection, and avoid skin cancer screening. Thus, the findings highlight that in addition to tanning bed avoidance, it is critical to emphasize sun protection and skin cancer screening in individuals who tan indoors.
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U2 - 10.1001/jamadermatol.2016.3754
DO - 10.1001/jamadermatol.2016.3754
M3 - Article
C2 - 27732686
AN - SCOPUS:85014717954
VL - 153
SP - 168
EP - 174
JO - A. M. A. archives of dermatology and syphilology
JF - A. M. A. archives of dermatology and syphilology
SN - 2168-6068
IS - 2
ER -