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Interest in tanning peaks prior to summer months

Interest in tanning, including indoor tanning, is seasonal and peaks in March in the United States and Canada, according to study results recently published in JAMA Dermatology.

Researchers used Google Trends, which computes how many searches have been done relative to a total number of searches done on Google. The search term “tanning salon” was used to investigate the seasonality of using artificial tanning. The search term “UV-free tanning” did not yield sufficient search results. The researchers used normalized search volumes for both “tanning” and “tanning salon” from January 2004 to December 2013 in Canada, the United States and Australia.

In the United States and Canada, interest in tanning and tanning salons was highest in March, while interest was highest in September in Australia (P = .03). This included a 6-month phase shift between peaks in Australia and North America. Findings were confirmed by Cosinor analysis.

“Our results demonstrate that interest in tanning peaks prior to summer months, with the highest interest being during the month of March in Canada and the Unites States,” the researchers wrote.

Preparation for a “base tan,” either prior to spring break or summer vacations could be the reason behind the peak interest. Canadian educational campaigns begin in May, but could be optimized if begun earlier during the year, the researchers wrote.

Interest in tanning salons had a significant decrease since 2010. There has been a decline in interesting in tanning salons since 2010 in Canada, and since 2012 in the United States and Australia. This could be because of new regulations on indoor tanning, the researchers wrote.

“Our results enable the design of timely harm reduction interventions,” the researchers concluded. “Our study introduces a novel methodology that may be used to contribute to research in the field of dermatology.” – by Bruce Thiel

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.