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Survey showed 39% of participants used tanning beds in past year

Nearly 40% of participants in a German nationwide survey had used a tanning bed at least once in the previous year, according to study results.

In a cross-sectional, population-based study, researchers investigated the results of a telephone survey of 4,851 German residents (mean age, 30.6 years; 50.9% male). To avoid seasonal bias, half of the sample was interviewed from July to September 2011 and the other half from November 2011 to January 2012.

Researchers learned 39.2% of participants reported tanning bed use within the past 12 months. Of them, 14.6% reported current tanning bed use and 24.7% tanned indoors in the past. The proportion of users within the past year was 5.2% for minors (aged 14 to 17 years) and 8.9% for people with Fitzpatrick skin types I or II. Using multivariate analyses, in comparison with the group aged 18 to 25 years, current tanning bed use was significantly less common among those aged 14 to 17 years (OR=0.24; 95% CI, 0.16-0.38) and for those aged 26 to 35 years (OR=0.70; 95% CI, 0.56-0.87) and respondents aged 36 to 45 years (OR=0.44; 95% CI, 0.35-0.56).

Factors that determined indoor tanning was being female (OR=1.97; 95% CI, 1.64-2.37), immigrant background (OR=1.46; 95% CI, 1.21-1.77) and full-time (OR=1.93; 95% CI, 1.53-2.43) or part time employment (OR=1.44; 95% CI, 1.11-1.85). Relaxation and increased attractiveness were the main motivations given for indoor tanning. Most users (72.8%) reported that they had never been advised about potential health risks associated with indoor tanning.

“The present study presents target groups for future interventions [that could] target occupations in which predominantly younger women work because the group of working women are particularly likely to use [tanning beds],” the researchers concluded. “Furthermore, the relationship between current [tanning bed] use and immigrant background indicates a specific need for the education of this population subgroup.”