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Gay, bisexual men reportedly more likely to use indoor tanning than straight men

Gay and bisexual men were more likely to report indoor tanning compared with straight men, according to recently published study results.

Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2013 National Health Interview Survey, a population-based survey representative of the U.S. civilian population, to conduct a cross-sectional study. Sexual orientation was self-reported. Frequency of indoor tanning within 12 months prior to the survey, including use of sunlamps, sun beds or tanning booths, but not spray-on tans, was asked in the survey. Ten or more uses within a 12-month period defined frequent tanning.

There were 34,557 survey respondents, including 571 who identified as gay or lesbian, 233 as bisexual and 32,456 as straight. Gay and bisexual men were younger and had higher educational level patterns, while lesbian and bisexual women were younger and had different educational patterns compared with heterosexual counterparts.

Gay men (OR = 3.1; 95% CI, 1.6-5.9) and bisexual men (OR = 4.5; 95% CI, 1.7-12) reported higher odds of indoor tanning compared with straight men. When analysis was stratified to include men only aged 18 to 34 years, gay and bisexual men reported higher odds of any tanning (OR = 3; 95%, 95% CI, 1.1-8.2 for gay men; OR=5; 95% CI, 1.4-17.8 for bisexual men) or frequent tanning (OR = 5.8; 95% CI, 1.8-19.3 for gay men; OR = 7.5; 1.7-33.6 for bisexual men).

Adjusted prevalence odds ratios were 2.8 (95% CI, 1.4-5.6) and 4.6 (95% CI, 1.6-13.2) for indoor tanning and 4.7 (95% CI, 2-11.2) and 7.4 (2.1-26.4) for frequent tanning for gay or bisexual men, respectively, compared with straight men.

Lower odds of any tanning were reported by younger bisexual women.

“Gay and bisexual men reported not only significantly more indoor tanning than straight men but also rates comparable to women,” the researchers concluded. “Although previous efforts at curbing indoor tanning have focused on high-risk groups, such as young women, the large magnitude of disparities in the burden of indoor tanning among gay and bisexual men warrants critically needed research and targeted clinical and public health interventions.” – By Bruce Thiel

Disclosure: Yeung reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for list of other researchers’ relevant financial disclosures.