Sunless Tanning Promotion Tied to Reduced Sunbathing

Sunless Tanning Promotion Tied to Reduced Sunbathing...However, adolescent use of sunless tanning products linked to indoor tanning and sunburns.

An intervention aimed at promoting the use of sunless tanning products appears to reduce sunbathing and increase sunless tanning, according to a study published in the September issue of the Archives of Dermatology. According to another study in the same issue, approximately 11 percent of U.S. adolescents use sunless tanning products, a practice linked to risky behaviors associated with ultraviolet radiation exposure.

In a randomized, controlled trial of 250 women, Sherry L. Pagoto, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, and colleagues evaluated the impact of a skin cancer prevention intervention that promoted sunless tanning as a substitute for sunbathing. The investigators found that the intervention was associated with reduced sunbathing and sunburns as well as increased use of protective clothing at two months. The intervention was also linked to reduced sunbathing and increased sunless tanning at one year.

In another study, Vilma E. Cokkinides, Ph.D., of the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues conducted a telephone-based, random-digit-dialed, cross-sectional survey between July 1 and Oct. 30, 2004 among 1,600 adolescents, aged 11 to 18 years, and their caregivers. The investigators found that 10.8 percent of adolescents used sunless tanning products in the past year, with use independently associated with indoor tanning as well as higher frequency of sunburn, though not with use of sunscreen.

"Adolescents, therefore, must be educated about these products and the importance of avoiding indoor tanning and practicing sun-protective behaviors," Cokkinides and colleagues write.

By: HealthDay News