Sunburn, Sun Safety and Indoor Tanning Among Schoolchildren in Ireland

Objectives: We present patterns of sunburn, sun safety behaviors and indoor tanning bed use in a nationally representative sample of schoolchildren aged 10–17. These behaviors were explored across gender, age, and social class groups.Methods: Within the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Ireland study, 10,271 young people (aged 13.54 ± 1.92, percentage girls 53.3%) reported frequency of sun safety behaviors, sunburn, and frequency and circumstances of indoor tanning bed use.Results: Children frequently experienced sunburn (90% lifetime, 74% last year), and 3% reported never using any sun protection. Applying sunscreen and wearing sunglasses were the most commonly used sun safety measures; other ways of sun protection were less popular. Indoor tanning bed use was reported by around 5%, and a large proportion of users were not advised of any indoor tanning safety measures. Sun safety behaviors varied by age and gender, with some socio-economic differences in tanning bed use. An association was found between frequency of family holidays abroad and sunburn.Conclusion: Targeted interventions are needed to increase sun safety behaviors and eliminate tanning bed use among children in Ireland.

A randomized controlled trial of a web-based personalized feedback intervention targeting frequent indoor tanning bed users: Engagement, acceptability, and preliminary behavioral outcomes

Frequent indoor tanning bed use is an established public health concern, yet research on tanning cessation interventions for frequent tanners is lacking. We describe the protocol for a brief, web-based tanning behavior change intervention and present evidence that it is acceptable and engaging to frequent indoor tanners. Lower tanning rates were not observed among participants receiving the intervention in a randomized controlled trial but participants’ interest in changing tanning increased. This intervention could be a useful approach to increasing frequent tanners’ interest in behavior change and openness to engaging within a more intensive, multi-component tanning cessation program. Trial Registration: NCT03448224 Clinical Trials.gov ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03448224?cond=NCT03448224&draw=2&rank=1 )

Recreational and residential sun exposure and risk of endometriosis: a prospective cohort study

STUDY QUESTION Is recreational and residential sun exposure associated with risk of endometriosis? SUMMARY ANSWER Tanning bed use in early adulthood, sunscreen use and history of sunburns were associated with a greater risk of endometriosis; however, higher residential UV exposure was associated with a lower endometriosis risk. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Previous research has reported an association between endometriosis and skin cancer, with evidence of shared risk factors between the two diseases. We investigated the potential associations between ultraviolet radiation and endometriosis risk. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION The Nurses’ Health Study II is a prospective cohort of 116 429 female US nurses aged 25–42 years at enrolment in 1989. Participants completed self-administered biennial questionnaires through June 2015. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTINGS, METHODS We investigated self-reported measures of recreational sun-exposure and geocoded residential UV exposure in childhood and adulthood in relation to risk of laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis among premenopausal white women. We used Cox proportional hazards models to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE During follow-up, 4791 incident cases of laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis were reported among 1 252 248 person-years. Tanning bed use during high school/college (≥6 times per year vs. never use: HR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.01–1.40; Ptrend = 0.04) and at ages 25–35 (HR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.12–1.39; Ptrend ≤ 0.0001), number of sunburns during adolescence (Ptrend = 0.03) and percentage of time using sunscreen in adulthood (Ptrend = 0.002) were positively associated with risk of endometriosis. In contrast, residential UV level at birth (highest vs. lowest quintile: HR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.72–0.92; Ptrend = 0.0001), at age 15 (HR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.70–0.88; Ptrend ≤ 0.0001) and at age 30 (HR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.82–0.99; Ptrend = 0.21) were associated with a decreased risk of endometriosis. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Self-reported endometriosis diagnosis may be prone to misclassification; however, we restricted our definition to laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis, which has been shown to have high validity compared to medical records. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Our results suggest that tanning bed use in early adulthood increases endometriosis risk, potentially through a harmful effect of ultraviolet A wavelengths, and that residential UV exposure reduces risk, possibly via optimal vitamin D synthesis. These findings should be investigated further to enhance our understanding of endometriosis aetiology. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This project was supported by NICHD grants HD48544 and HD52473, HD57210, NIH grant CA50385, CA176726. M.K. was supported by a Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Programme (#PIOF-GA-2011-302078) and is grateful to the Philippe Foundation and the Bettencourt-Schueller Foundation for their financial support. H.R.H. is supported by the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (K22 CA193860). The authors have nothing to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.

Influence of Parental Attachment and Life Satisfaction on Social Tanning Behavior

The goal of the study was to explore college students’ social tanning behavior based on their parental attachment and life satisfaction. The data were collected from a sample of 333 college students using a self-administered online survey tool. The questionnaire consisted of multi-item scales measuring parental attachment, life satisfaction, and social tanning behaviors (tanning bed use vs. sun tanning) along with demographic questions. The majority of the participants were female (80.2%) and Caucasian (76.9%), with an average age of 19.8 years. Results suggest that there is an association between having a high parental attachment and engaging in “social sun tanning.” College students who are highly satisfied with their life are less likely to use tanning beds with friends and families. Intervention strategies to deter harmful body-tanning should be designed to consider ways of improving quality of relationships and life.