AbstractsBiology & Animal Science

Background: Tanning bed use is a modifiable risk factor in the development of melanoma skin cancer. Despite the increased risk of skin cancer, tanning bed use is most common among the adolescent and young adult population. Adolescents and young adults intentionally expose their skin to the artificial ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted from tanning equipment. In Canada, the indoor tanning industry is largely unregulated and in need of a coordinated public health intervention. Objectives: The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence and frequency of tanning bed use in the past 12 months and to identify the tanning attitudes that predict the prevalence and higher frequency of tanning bed use in the past 12 months in the older adolescent and young adult population in Canada. The purpose of the study was to identify key points of intervention and to provide valuable information to help inform policy makers and health promotion workers when developing a strategy to reduce exposure to artificial UV radiation. Methods: The study used the data collected in the 2006 Second National Sun Survey (NSS2), the most recent and comprehensive survey in Canada to examine exposure to UV radiation. A logistic regression and negative binomial regression model was used to predict the prevalence and higher frequency of tanning bed use in the past 12 months among older adolescents and young adults (aged 16 to 34) in the 2006 NSS2, respectively. Results: Overall, 21.5% of females and 8.3% of males (aged 16 to 34) in Canada were found to have had used artificial tanning equipment at least once in the past 12 months in 2006. Among those who had used a tanning bed in the past 12 months, 7.0% of iv females and 10.3% of males had used the equipment once, compared to 41.3% of females and 29.2% of males who had used the equipment more than 12 times. The individual level determinants that predict any use of a tanning bed in the past 12 months include gender (female), ethnicity (white), the intent to suntan during the summer months (always or often), the belief that people look better with a tan, and the belief that you look more attractive with a tan. In addition, having skin that will freckle (no suntan) when repeatedly exposed to sunlight was negatively associated with any use of a tanning bed in the past 12 months. The belief that a tan gives a healthy outdoor look, on the other hand, did not predict any tanning bed use in the past 12 months. Among those who had used a tanning bed in the past 12 months, the individual level determinants that predict the higher frequency of tanning bed use include gender (female), skin that will moderately tan when repeatedly exposed to sunlight, the use of a tanning bed to look better (reported as ‘very important’), and the use of a tanning bed to relax or feel better (reported as ‘very important’). The use of a tanning bed to boost their immune system, to protect against cancer, and to get vitamin D did not predict the higher frequency of tanning bed use in the…