Sanitarians' work with indoor-tanning businesses: findings from interviews in two major metropolitan areas.

In spite of health risks, indoor tanning is a popular practice and a growing industry. Although published studies indicate that tanning businesses' compliance with regulations is poor, no studies describe enforcement activity and the related knowledge and perceptions of environmental health professionals. As part of a larger study of indoor tanning in Minnesota and Massachusetts, both states with statutes that regulate tanning, the investigation reported in this paper involved interviews of 27 sanitarians in the Twin Cities and 30 sanitarians in the Boston metropolitan area about their awareness, experiences, and practices. Overall, Massachusetts performed better than Minnesota with respect to familiarity with regulations (93 percent versus 67 percent), routine business inspections (90 percent of agencies versus 27 percent), and priority given by agencies to indoor-tanning work-differences likely attributable to a stronger state statute. Participants in both states, however, recalled few aspects of the regulations and were able to identify few of the health risks associated with indoor tanning, and most reported receiving inadequate training. Various steps must be taken to improve environmental health work with tanning businesses, including educating the public, strengthening regulations, addressing resource issues, and training sanitarians.

The STRENGTH Ezine: an application of e-mail for health promotion in adolescent girls.

PURPOSE: Few studies have investigated the efficacy of e-mail for promoting behavior change. This study evaluates the participation in and outcomes associated with an e-mail-based health promotion program. METHODS: Adolescent girls aged 15 to 17 years were recruited at a shopping mall. Participants with an e-mail address were assigned to the interactive e-mail magazine (Ezine) group (n = 37), whereas those not reporting an e-mail address were assigned to the non-Ezine group (n = 33). Participants in the Ezine group received the health Ezine, which included a quiz and an advice column, on a weekly basis. RESULTS: Results indicate that among the Ezine group, there was a high recall of the Ezine (81.1%), and more than one third of the participants replied to Ezine volumes with quiz answers or an advice question (36.6%). Differences in health behavior change between the Ezine and non-Ezine groups were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: E-mails on health-related matters can generate moderate levels of involvement in adolescent girls. Given the widespread use of e-mail, more studies are needed on the effective application of e-mail for health behavior change.

Characteristics associated with use or intention to use indoor tanning among adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Indoor tanning is a popular behavior that may increase skin cancer risk. OBJECTIVE: To examine characteristics associated with use or intention to use indoor tanning among adolescents. METHODS: A telephone interview was conducted with 1273 adolescents, aged 14 to 17 years, in the Minneapolis-St Paul, Minn, and Boston, Mass, metropolitan areas. Questions included demographic and phenotypic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, social factors, use of indoor tanning, and intention to tan indoors. RESULTS: Twelve percent of boys and 42% of girls had tanned indoors. Among nontanners, 22.4% planned to start, and 77.2% of tanners planned to continue tanning indoors. Nontanners and tanners at risk for future indoor tanning use were each significantly more likely to be female, less likely to use sun protection, less knowledgeable about skin cancer risks, more likely to agree that tans were attractive, and more strongly influenced by social factors compared with their low-risk counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that intention to tan indoors may identify a group of adolescents at risk for adopting the behavior; prospective studies are needed for confirmation.