People are using indoor tanning less, according to new statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We observed significant reductions in indoor tanning from 2010 to 2013: from 5.5% to 4.2% (P < .001) among all adults, from 8.6% to 6.5% (P < .001) among women, and from 2.2% to 1.7% (P < .001) among men,” Gery P. Guy Jr., Ph.D., health economist in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, and his colleagues wrote in a research letter published July 1 in JAMA Dermatology (2015 July 1 [doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2015.1568]).
The authors cite a number of possible factors contributing to the decline of indoor tanning, including increased awareness of the potential skin cancer risk, laws restricting tanning bed use by minors (that may have changed public perception on safety), and a 10% excise tax implemented in 2010.
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.