The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #64723

Jean L. Forster, PhD¹, DeAnn Lazovich, PhD¹, Andrea B. Hickle, MPH¹, Glorian C. Sorensen, PhD, MPH², Karen M. Emmons, PhD³, Marie-France Demierre, MD², and Natania Remba, EdM². (1) Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, 1300 South Second St., Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454-1015, (612) 626-8864, Forster@epi.umn.edu, (2) Department of Health and Social Behavior, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115-6096, (3) Center for Community-Based Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115

Ten states regulate minor access to indoor tanning. To examine compliance with parental consent laws in Minnesota and Massachusetts, we sent underage adolescent female confederates into tanning businesses in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Boston (100 businesses/site 2 visits/business) to attempt to purchase tanning sessions without parental consent. An adult driver also posed as a future customer to assess business knowledge and practices. Finally, we conducted telephone interviews with 136 of 200 businesses about their practices. From these data, we examined predictors of successful purchase attempts by underage minors. Overall, minors purchased tanning sessions at least once in 81% of businesses, regardless of location. Based on business managers’ reports, the mean success rate was significantly lower in larger businesses, those offering only indoor tanning, those whose employees were certified, those belonging to tanning associations, and those reporting a parental consent requirement. Mean success rate was also lower in businesses scoring higher on a sound business practice scale and knowledge scale, assessed by the adult driver. Finally, teens were much less successful purchasing tanning sessions if the business operator assessed her age eligibility (OR = 0.01, 95% CI 0.0003, 0.49) or asked for parental consent (OR = 0.002 95% CI <0.001, 0.006). Although adolescents were very successful in purchasing tanning sessions without parental consent, these data suggest that tanning businesses that employ recommended business practices are more likely to comply with regulations regarding minor access to indoor tanning than businesses that do not have these characteristics.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe legislation that regulates adolescent use of indoor tanning
• Identify business characteristics, obtained from indoor tanning business managers, adolescent and adult confederates, associated with successful purchase attempts by underage minors.
• Discuss implications for regulations as a method to reduce adolescent use of indoor tanning.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Public Health Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.