Study: More people using tanning beds than previously believed.
USA Today (1/30, Szabo) reports that research published in JAMA Dermatology indicates that more people are using tanning beds than previously believed. Researchers found that “more than 35% of American adults report ever using a tanning bed, along with 59% of college students and 17% of teens in the analysis.” Additionally, “the percentage of Americans who have used a tanning bed in the past year also was high – 13% of adults, 43% of university students and 10% of teens.” The article points out some groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Dermatology “have called on states to bar children under 18 from tanning salons.”
HealthDay (1/30) quotes Dr. Mark Lebwohl, incoming president-elect of the American Academy of Dermatology, as saying, “It is appalling how often exposure to indoor tanning takes place in presumably educated populations and particularly worrisome that we allow adolescents to be exposed to this carcinogen.” Dr. Lebwohl added, “We must do a much better job at educating people of all ages about the risks of indoor tanning.”
