Almost 37 percent of white American teen girls have used an indoor tanning facility at least once and almost 30 percent of girls report using a tanning booth three or more times, according to a new Case Western Reserve University study.

The study, which appears in this month's issue of the "Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine," also found that the percentage of girls using tanning booths three or more times increased with age, from 11.2 percent of the 13- to 14-year-olds to 47 percent of 18- to 19-year-olds. In addition, teens who tanned easily were more likely to use indoor tanning facilities than poor tanners, and girls who participated in routine physical activity were less likely to use tanning booths.

"The popularity of indoor tanning among adolescents has been previously reported, but the extent of its use had not been measured on a large, representative sample of U.S. teens," said lead author Catherine A. Demko, a research associate at the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case and University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC). "In conjunction with other studies, these results demonstrate that indoor tanning among white teen-agers is significant, with 30 percent to 40 percent of 16- to 18-year-old white females using tanning booths repeatedly."

According to Demko, teen-age boys reported less use of tanning booths: a little more than 11 percent used a tanning booth at least once and 6.9 percent went to a tanning booth three or more times.

The study also found a higher percentage of indoor tanners among teens from the Midwest and South, from rural areas and among dieters, as well as among teens reporting recent use of alcohol and tobacco. Information for the study came from a 1996 survey of more than 6,900 teens.

"Repeated exposure to UV rays, such as those absorbed during indoor tanning, can cause skin cancer and premature aging of the skin," Demko said. "The majority of teens do not have an appreciation of the risk of skin cancers, scars from surgeries to try and remove them, mottled pigmentation and sagging, wrinkled skin."

The predominant UV-A component of indoor tanning lights is a major culprit in photoaging because it penetrates the skin layers more deeply and causes oxidative and DNA damage. According to Demko, prevention messages are under development to emphasize the appearance-related problems of UV overexposure and to present alternatives to tanning using UV rays to enhance appearance.

Other authors on the study are Elaine A. Borawski, Sara M. Debanne, Kevin D. Cooper and Kurt C. Stange, all with Case and UHC.

Return to the online edition of the 9-18-03 Campus News.