Correlates of indoor tanning among teens: Key findings from CITY100

Indoor tanning has been linked to both melanoma and squamous cell cancer, and its prevalence is as high as 25% among older U.S. teen girls. CITY100 (Correlates of Indoor Tanning in Youth) is a multi-component project to identify the correlates of indoor tanning. Based on ecological models, we have developed data sets for the 100 most populous U.S. cities consisting of environmental, policy, and individual level variables that may be related to teens' indoor tanning. The centerpiece component consisted of a phone survey of 6125 teen/parent pairs, with a 75% response rate. Our teen sample(ages 14-17 years) was 52% female and 69% non-Hispanic white; approximately 10.4% had used indoor tanning in the past 12 months.The following key univariate results from generalized linear mixed models are adjusted for city clustering. Recent use of indoor tanning was significantly lower among teens in states having youth access laws(9.2% vs. 12.3%; OR=.72; CI =.57,.93). Having a higher density of facilities in one's city (OR=1.05; CI=1.03, 1.07) and having at least one facility within 2 miles of one's home(OR= 1.52; CI= 1.21, 1.91) were each significantly related to indoor tanning. At the individual level of influence, the following were significantly associated with higher likelihood of tanning: being female, older, or non-Hispanic white; having parents or friends who indoor tan; believing that tans are attractive; being exposed to ads; and having higher household incomes or weekly allowances. Multivariate analyses are in progress. Our findings will help guide future interventions, including those addressing policy and the built-environment.