This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Boldeman, C. Articles by Ullén, H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Boldeman, C. Articles by Ullén, H. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Sunbed use among Swedish adolescents in the 1990s: a decline with an unchanged relationship to health risk behaviors

Community Medicine, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden, cecilia.boldeman{at}smd.sll.se, Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Bjarne Jansson

Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Henrik Dal

Community Medicine, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden

Henrik Ullén

Department of Oncology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Aims: Sunbed use is common among adolescents, and may give an increment to UV exposure and an overall skin cancer risk comparable to that of the sun. Sunbed use was studied among 15- to 19-year-old adolescents in Stockholm County. Methods: Data from two questionnaire surveys (1,252 respondents in 1993, and 2,950 respondents in 1999, survey tool partly revised) were analysed. By stepwise binary logistic regression the occurrence of sunbed use was assessed and analysed versus sunbed erythema, skin type, outdoor tanning, sunscreen use and smoking. Results: Sunbed use declined between the surveys. In 1993, 70% of females, and 44% of males used sunbeds; in 1999, these were 45% and 19% respectively. Sunbeds were used against user recommendations. Of the sunbed users in 1993, 45% and 43% reported sunbed erythema; in 1999, 29% and 19% did so. Sunbed erythema, though related to sun sensitivity, occurred in all skin types. In both surveys, sunbed use was positively related to moderately sensitive skin type (females), outdoor tanning, and smoking (females). Smoking was a strong predictor for sunbed use among females in both surveys. Conclusions: Even though different survey tools were used, and in spite of a decline in sunbed use, sunbed erythema was still common, and the relation to other health risk behaviour remained. Further research on sunbed use and its role in the aggregation of health risk behaviours in vulnerable ages is warranted, particularly its relation to outdoor tanning and smoking. A national and international harmonization of survey tools is also recommended for improved comparability.

Key Words: health risk behaviour • sun sensitivity • sunbed use.

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 31, No. 3, 233-237 (2003)
DOI: 10.1080/14034940310001208


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. C. Banerjee, K. Greene, Z. Bagdasarov, and S. Campo 'My friends love to tan': examining sensation seeking and the mediating role of association with friends who use tanning beds on tanning bed use intentions Health Educ. Res., July 2, 2009; (2009) cyp035v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]