Despite Warnings, Adults Using Indoor Tanning Beds Largely Undeterred - East Idaho News
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Despite Warnings, Adults Using Indoor Tanning Beds Largely Undeterred

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GETTY 7115 TanningBed?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1435775204459Stockbyte/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — In recent years, the media has been replete with warnings from medical authorities concerning the dangers of indoor tanning beds — dangers that include skin cancer, wrinkles and potentially blinding eye conditions.

Despite this, a new study — published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Dermatology — using data from a large nationally representative survey shows that the reported rate of use of indoor tanning beds did not decrease much between 2010 and 2013.

Researchers looked at data on approximately 60,000 people over these three years, and they found that the rate of adults reporting indoor tanning went from 5.5 percent to 4.2 percent in this period — meaning that nearly four out of five adults who tanned indoors in 2010 still did in 2013.

In certain age and gender groups, no significant changes were seen at all.

Researchers postulate that the small reductions in indoor tanning rates might be attributed to an increased awareness of harm and higher excise tax on indoor tanning — but it is clear that more awareness is needed.

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