Adults who engaged in other risky behaviors that expose a person to ultraviolet (UV) radiation were more likely to tan outdoors, further increasing their risk of skin cancer, a recent study found. Using data from the 2015 Summer ConsumerStyles, an online cross-sectional survey weighted to the US adult population (n=4,127), researchers examined the associations between demographic characteristics, behaviors, and belief factors related to skin cancer risk and intentional outdoor tanning. They found:

• Nearly 10% of the study population intentionally tanned outdoors.
• Outdoor tanning was more prevalent among women (11.4%), non-Hispanic white individuals (11.5%), those aged 18–29 years (14.1%), those without a high school diploma (12.7%), and those in the northeast US (13.2%).
• The adjusted odds of outdoor tanning were significantly higher among women than men, those with a history of indoor tanning or recent sunburn than those without, those who agreed they looked better with a tan than those who did not, and those who did not try to protect their skin from the sun when outdoors than those who did.