Florida Has More Tanning Salons Than McDonald’s
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iStock/Thinkstock(MIAMI) — Florida may be the “Sunshine State,” but it has a stunning number of options for catching artificial rays, too.
Florida has more indoor tanning facilities than McDonald’s restaurants, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
But that’s not all. With 1,261 indoor tanning facilities, Floridians have more places to go tanning than CVS stores, Bank of America branches, and Publix supermarkets.
“Moreover, many Florida tanning facilities are located at fitness centers and businesses marketing ‘wellness’ services,” the researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine wrote in the study. “The association of indoor tanning with these amenities falsely implies that indoor tanning promotes health rather than carcinogenic effects.”
In 2010, 61,061 people nationwide were diagnosed with skin cancer, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That same year, 9,154 people died of skin cancer.
According to the study, Florida has the “second-highest incidence of melanoma in the country,” and it has no age restrictions on indoor tanning.
The researchers wrote that they were particularly interested in the fact that many Florida tanning facilities were situated within residential buildings marketed toward college students. About 94% of these buildings offered free tanning for residents, “only limiting use to once daily,” they wrote.
Check out the number of tanning salons in Florida compared to other businesses, as reported in JAMA:
- Indoor tanning facilities: 1261
- Bank of America branches: 624
- Bank of America ATMs: 1455
- McDonald’s: 868
- CVS: 693
- Publix Supermarket: 756
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