It's not serious: Rural College Women's Perceptions of Indoor Tanning Risks and Benefits

background:  Skin cancer accounts for half of all cancer cases in the U.S. and indoor tanning, a behavior most prevalent among college aged women, is an important skin cancer risk factor.

methods: Female indoor tanners aged 18 to 25 were recruited from a southeastern University. Twenty-four participants completed both an online survey and in-depth interview; questions followed the Health Belief Model and current tanning literature. Data was collected in March 2014 and interviews were transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were analyzed by all authors using an iterative process.

results: Overall, most participants understood basic skin cancer risk factors including UV exposure and demographics (e.g., fair skin and light hair). However, when asked about their personal risk, many participants perceived both a low short term and long term threat of skin cancer. The majority of participants did not identify skin cancer as severe and had low susceptibility despite their tanning history. Moreover, tanning benefits far overshadowed any potential risks. Participants listed improved appearance (e.g., attractive tan skin and less acne) in addition to positive experiential attitudes (e.g., stress relief brought on tanning) as benefits of indoor tanning.

conclusions: This study suggests that rural college women’s perceptions of tanning benefits outweigh the risks. The behavior is complicated by both short term and long term risks and these women’s understanding of both. Future interventions and health communication should focus on increasing susceptibility and severity of the negative health effects of indoor tanning.