Adolescents' use of indoor tanning: a large-scale evaluation of psychosocial, environmental, and policy-level correlates.

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).

Youth access to artificial UV radiation exposure: practices of 3647 US indoor tanning facilities.

Objective: To assess indoor tanning facility practices in a sample of facilities in 116 cities representing all 50 states.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: United States.

Density of indoor tanning facilities in 116 large U.S. cities.

Background: U.S. adolescents and young adults are using indoor tanning at high rates, even though it has been linked to both melanoma and squamous cell cancer.

Sun sensitivity in 5 US ethnoracial groups.

Some sun safety activities have included only non-Hispanic white individuals, even though individuals in other ethnoracial groups may be at risk for skin cancer. The objectives of this study were to investigate distributions of self-reported Fitzpatrick skin type within 5 ethnoracial groups and substantiate each group's self-report with an objective measure. The study used a cross-sectional design.

The influence of parents and peers on adolescent indoor tanning behavior: findings from a multi-city sample.

Background: Indoor tanning is common among adolescents.

Objective: Our purpose was to examine the influence of parents and peers on adolescent indoor tanning.

Methods: Telephone interviews were conducted with 5274 teen-parent pairs in the 100 largest US cities.

Promoting sun safety among US Postal Service letter carriers: impact of a 2-year intervention.

Objectives: We examined whether US Postal Service letter carriers who received a sun safety intervention would wear wide-brim hats and sunscreen significantly more often than those who did not receive the intervention.

Methods: We used a 2-group randomized design with 2662 evaluation cohort participants from 70 US postal stations. Evaluations were conducted at baseline, 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years.

Effects of an introductory letter on response rates to a teen/parent telephone health survey.

The authors conducted a pilot study in preparation for a larger investigation that will rely on telephone surveys to assess select health behaviors of teens and their parents, with a focus on indoor tanning. This study used a randomized design to assess the impact of a presurvey letter on response rates to a telephone survey, as well as prevalence estimates of ever having used an indoor tanning facility. The letter did not have a significant effect on response rates or prevalence estimates in the two cities under study.