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Background People increase their risk of melanoma unless they are protected from the harmful effects of sun exposure during childhood and adolescence. We aimed to assess the feasibility of a three-component sun protection intervention- presentation, action planning, and SMS messages - and trial parameters. Methods This feasibility wait-list trial was conducted in the United Kingdom in 2018. Students aged 13–15 years were eligible. Feasibility outcomes were collected for recruitment rates; data availability rates for objective measurements of melanin and erythema using a Mexameter and self-reported sunburn occurrences, severity and body location, tanning, sun protection behaviours and Skin Self-Examination (SSE) collected before (baseline) and after the school summer holidays (follow-up); intervention reach, adherence, perceived impact and acceptability. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics; qualitative data were analysed thematically. Results Five out of eight schools expressing an interest in participating with four allocated to act as intervention and one control. Four parents/carers opted their child out of the study. Four hundred and eighty-seven out of 724 students on the school register consented to the study at baseline (67%). Three hundred and eighty-five were in intervention group schools. Objective skin measurements were available for 255 (66%) of the intervention group at baseline and 237 (61%) of the group at follow up. Melanin increased; erythema decreased. Complete self-report data were available for 247 (64%) students in the intervention group. The number of students on the school register who attended the presentation and given the booklet was 379 (98%) and gave their mobile phone number was 155 (40%). No intervention component was perceived as more impactful on sun protection behaviours. Adolescents did not see the relevance of sun protection in the UK or for their age group. Conclusions This is the first study to use a Mexameter to measure skin colour in adolescents. Erythema (visible redness) lasts no more than three days and its measurement before and after a six week summer holiday may not yield relevant or meaningful data. A major challenge is that adolescents do not see the relevance of sun protection and SSE. Trial registration International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number ISRCTN11141528 . Date registered 0/2/03/2018; last edited 31/05/2018. Retrospectively registered.

Youthful indoor tanning as few as ten sessions can increase the risk of melanoma by two to four times with each additional session adding another 2 % to the risk. Recent research estimates that indoor tanning can be linked to approximately 450,000 cases of skin cancer annually in the USA, Europe, and Australia. Despite these risks, indoor tanning remains popular with adolescents. This study tested the efficacy of a web-based skin cancer prevention intervention designed to reduce indoor tanning motivations in adolescent females. A nationally representative sample of 443 female teens was enrolled from an online panel into a two-arm, parallel group design, randomized controlled trial. Treatment participants received an appearance-focused intervention grounded in established health behavior change models. Controls viewed a teen alcohol prevention website. Outcome variables included willingness and intentions to indoor tan, willingness to sunless tan, and measures of indoor tanning attitudes and beliefs. The intervention decreased willingness and intentions to indoor tan and increased sunless tanning willingness relative to controls. We also examined indirect mechanisms of change through intervening variables (e.g., indoor tanning attitudes, norms, positive and negative expectancies) using the product of coefficient approach. The web-based intervention demonstrated efficacy in changing adolescent indoor tanning motivations and improving their orientation toward healthier alternatives. Results from the intervening variable analyses give guidance to future adolescent skin cancer prevention interventions.

Objectives. Recently, several state indoor tanning laws, including age restrictions, were promulgated to reduce indoor tanning among minors. We examined the effects of these laws on adolescent indoor tanning. Methods. We used nationally representative data from the 2009 and 2011 national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (n = 31 835). Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined the association between state indoor tanning laws and indoor tanning among US high school students. Results. Female students in states with indoor tanning laws were less likely to engage in indoor tanning than those in states without any laws. We observed a stronger association among female students in states with systems access, parental permission, and age restriction laws than among those in states without any laws. We found no significant association among female students in states with only systems access and parental permission laws or among male students. Conclusions. Indoor tanning laws, particularly those including age restrictions, may be effective in reducing indoor tanning among female high school students, for whom rates are the highest. Such reductions have the potential to reduce the health and economic burden of skin cancer.

Although personal melanoma risk factors are well established, the contribution of socioeconomic factors, including clothing styles, social norms, medical paradigms, perceptions of tanned skin, economic trends, and travel patterns, to melanoma incidence has not been fully explored. We analyzed artwork, advertisements, fashion trends, and data regarding leisure-time activities to estimate historical changes in UV skin exposure. We used data from national cancer registries to compare melanoma incidence rates with estimated skin exposure and found that they rose in parallel. Although firm conclusions about melanoma causation cannot be made in an analysis such as this, we provide a cross-disciplinary, historical framework in which to consider public health and educational measures that may ultimately help reverse melanoma incidence trends.

The incidence of melanoma of the skin is 6 times as high as it was 40 years ago; mortality has stayed low. UV light exposure is the strongest environmental risk factor, but its magnitude gives a relative risk of about 2. The most likely factors influencing the increase are changing thresholds to biopsy pigmented lesions and to label the morphologic change as melanoma.

Objectives. We evaluated psychosocial, built-environmental, and policy-related correlates of adolescents’ indoor tanning use. Methods. We developed 5 discrete data sets in the 100 most populous US cities, based on interviews of 6125 adolescents (aged 14–17 years) and their parents, analysis of state indoor tanning laws, interviews with enforcement experts, computed density of tanning facilities, and evaluations of these 3399 facilities’ practices regarding access by youths. After univariate analyses, we constructed multilevel models with generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). Results. In the past year, 17.1% of girls and 3.2% of boys had used indoor tanning. The GLMMs indicated that several psychosocial or demographic variables significantly predicted use, including being female, older, and White; having a larger allowance and a parent who used indoor tanning and allowed their adolescent to use it; and holding certain beliefs about indoor tanning's consequences. Living within 2 miles of a tanning facility also was a significant predictor. Residing in a state with youth-access legislation was not significantly associated with use. Conclusions. Current laws appear ineffective in reducing indoor tanning; bans likely are needed. Parents have an important role in prevention efforts.

Objectives. We investigated the impact of indoor tanning device warnings that communicate the risks associated with indoor tanning (i.e., loss framed) or the benefits of avoiding indoor tanning (i.e., gain framed). Methods. A convenience sample of non-Hispanic White women aged 18 to 30 years who tanned indoors at least once in the past year (n = 682) participated in a within-subjects experiment. Participants completed baseline measures and reported indoor tanning intentions and intentions to quit indoor tanning in response to 5 warning messages in random order. A text-only control warning was based on Food and Drug Administration–required warnings for indoor tanning devices. Experimental warnings included graphic content and were either gain or loss framed. Results. In multivariable analyses, gain-framed warnings did not differ from the control warning on women’s intentions to tan indoors, but they prompted stronger intentions to quit than the control message. Loss-framed warnings significantly reduced intentions to tan indoors and increased intentions to quit indoor tanning compared with control and gain-framed warnings. Conclusions. The public health impact of indoor tanning device warnings can be enhanced by incorporating graphic content and leveraging gain- and loss-framed messaging.

Purpose Gender nonconformity (GNC) describes the degree of misalignment between individual’s gender expression and gender norms and is often linked to negative health outcomes. We aimed to investigate the association between GNC and adolescent indoor tanning, the most preventable cause of skin cancer, among U.S. high school students. Methods This study examined cross-sectional data from the 2017 state Youth Risk Behavior Survey in Maryland. Participants included 25,432 female and 25,060 male students in grades 9 through 12. The primary outcome was the prevalence of self-reported 12-month history of indoor tanning before survey. The GNC was measured by self-perceived gender expression (from “very feminine” to “very masculine”) and sex (“female” or “male”). The logistic regression analysis for weighted survey data was performed to estimate the association between GNC and adolescent indoor tanning. Results Among 50,492 high school students in Maryland, the prevalence of indoor tanning was 6.8(95% CI, 6.4-7.3), and varied by demographic characteristics and sexual orientation. Among male students, indoor tanning was significantly associated with moderate GNC (AOR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.13-2.13; P=0.007) and high GNC (AOR, 4.92; 95% CI, 4.04-5.99; P<0.001). However, among female students, indoor tanning was not associated with moderate and high GNC in the adjusted models. Furthermore, indoor tanning was also significantly associated with transgender identity, the AOR was 7.16 (95% CI, 5.89-8.72; P<0.001) compared with cisgender female students, and 9.31(7.44-11.64; P<0.001) compared with cisgender male students. Conclusions Gender nonconforming adolescent males and transgender adolescents report higher risk of indoor tanning than gender conforming adolescent males and cisgender adolescents respectively. Skin cancer prevention efforts targeted at gender minorities might reduce indoor tanning, a preventable risk factor for skin cancer.

Although overall cancer incidence rates are decreasing, melanoma incidence rates continue to increase about 3% annually. Melanoma is a significant public health problem that exacts a substantial financial burden. Years of potential life lost from melanoma deaths contribute to the social, economic, and human toll of this disease. However, most cases are potentially preventable. Research has clearly established that exposure to ultraviolet radiation increases melanoma risk. Unprecedented antitumor activity and evolving survival benefit from novel targeted therapies and immunotherapies are now available for patients with unresectable and/or metastatic melanoma. Still, prevention (minimizing sun exposure that may result in tanned or sunburned skin and avoiding indoor tanning) and early detection (identifying lesions before they become invasive or at an earlier stage) have significant potential to reduce melanoma incidence and melanoma-associated deaths. This article reviews the state of the science on prevention and early detection of melanoma and current areas of scientific uncertainty and ongoing debate. The US Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer and US Preventive Services Task Force reviews on skin cancer have propelled a national discussion on melanoma prevention and screening that makes this an extraordinary and exciting time for diverse disciplines in multiple sectors -- health care, government, education, business, advocacy, and community -- to coordinate efforts and leverage existing knowledge to make major strides in reducing the public health burden of melanoma in the United States.

Introduction Adolescents increase their skin cancer risk through exposure to ultraviolet radiation, tanning, and poor use of sun-safety practices. Past studies documented that adolescent indoor tanning is associated with substance use. However, these did not examine e-cigarette use as many were conducted prior to their widespread popularity nor were most studies focused on areas with high environmental risk for skin cancer. The present study examined the current relationship between indoor tanning and substance use, including e-cigarettes, in an area with high skin cancer burden. Methods Data for the current study stem from a statewide survey of middle and high school students in a high melanoma burden state of the United States ( N  = 22,141). The survey assessed student’s reported indoor tanning, alcohol use, cigarette smoking, and e-cigarette and marijuana usage. Results Across all student participants, 3.5% reported indoor tanning one or more times in the past 12 months. Weighted chi-square tests revealed statistically significant associations between indoor tanning and other health risk behaviors ( p  < 0.001). Specifically, higher alcohol consumption, e-cigarette use, marijuana use, and cigarette use were all significantly associated with more frequent indoor tanning. Female and older adolescents were more likely to report indoor tanning. Conclusions Indoor tanning among adolescents is associated with increased odds of engaging in substance use behaviors, including e-cigarette use. Health interventions for adolescents may benefit from addressing multiple health risk behaviors concurrently and targeting adolescents most in need for health interventions. Future work to better understand the common mechanisms underlying co-occurring health risk behaviors could inform development of such interventions.