Prevalence and correlates of intentional outdoor and indoor tanning among adolescents in the United States: Findings from the FLASHE survey

A body of research has focused on adolescents’ indoor tanning behaviors but relatively little is known about the prevalence of adolescents’ intentional outdoor tanning (time spent outdoors to get a tan). The present study used data from the National Cancer Institute's 2014 Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health and Eating (FLASHE) cross-sectional survey to examine the prevalence and correlates of intentional outdoor and indoor tanning among adolescents in the United States. Both unadjusted (bivariate) and adjusted (multi-variate) logistic regressions were performed to test the associations between demographic variables, time spent on media (e.g., using computers), emotional status and outdoor or indoor tanning. The overall prevalence of frequent outdoor tanning among adolescents in the U.S. was 15.6% (95% CI 13.8–17.4%) and the rate of indoor tanning in the past 12 months was 3% (95% CI 2.2–3.9). The adjusted odds of intentional outdoor tanning were significantly higher among girls (AOR 2.39, 95% CI 1.75–3.27), Non-Hispanic Whites (AOR 2.85, 95% CI 1.99–4.07), and those who spent more time on cell phones (AOR 1.40, 95% CI 1.25–1.57). The adjusted odds of indoor tanning were significantly higher among those who spent more time on computers (AOR 1.38, 95% CI 1.09–1.74) and cell phones (AOR 1.49, 95% CI 1.19–1.87). This study provides evidence for the relationship between media use and tanning behaviors among adolescents.