Abstract
Purpose: Even though it is well known that sun tanning can cause cancer, the behavior is practiced by a significant proportion of the US population, with about 50% of white adolescents and adults engaging in the behavior. This study assessed the sun tanning behaviors and sun tanning health beliefs, attitudes, and intentions among college students at a university in a beach resort town. Methods: Students (n=632) were recruited by email and participated in an electronic survey. All students at the university were invited to participate. Results: Females and those who had higher perceived benefits of tanning, and those who had friends who sun tanned spent more time intentionally sun tanning. Also, an association existed between having a positive attitude toward tan skin and using tanning beds (OR=2.51). Those with intentions to decrease sun tanning were more often female, had higher perceived severity of tanning, and higher selfefficacy of avoiding tanning (OR=2.30). Conclusions: Females may be a prime target population for preventive interventions since they sun tan more often, but also have higher intentions to avoid the behavior. Additionally, the results of this study seem to indicate that females’ behaviors are more predictable according to the Health Belief Model (HBM). Because of this, interventions that seek to address HBM constructs might be more effective for females compared to males.
Highlights
Sun tanning, the behavior of purposely laying in the sun or in a tanning bed, is a prevalent behavior
Females are significantly more likely than males to spend more than two hours in the sun tanning, have friends that spend more than two hours in the sun tanning, use tanning beds, and have intentions to decrease sun tanning
It was found that females are significantly more likely than males to hold positive beliefs of the benefits of tanning and have a positive attitude towards tanning
Summary
The behavior of purposely laying in the sun or in a tanning bed, is a prevalent behavior. These practices can result in various forms of skin cancer, including the most serious form, melanoma (American Cancer Society, [ACS]). According to the American Cancer Society, each year more than 76,000 people will develop melanoma (ACS, 2013) as a result of sun tanning or tanning bed use. Adolescents and young adult females are most likely to sun tan and are the least likely to use sunscreen, making them susceptible to skin cancer (Heckman, Wilson, Ingersoll, 2009; Stanton, Janda, Baade, & Anderson, 2009). It has been suggested that the reward of tanning (i.e. attractiveness) outweighs any cost that may be a result of lying in the sun or in a tanning bed (i.e., cancer) (Lucci, Citro, & Wilson, 2012; Spradlin, Bass, & Hyman, 2010; Coups, Manne, & Heckman, 2008)
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