Irish study finds one in 20 children have used a sunbed

Irish study finds one in 20 children have used a sunbed

The study also found that 90% of young people in the study said they had experienced sunburn at least once, and 74% had in the previous year. File photo

Up to 5% of children aged 10 to 17 have used a sunbed, according to a new study which argues that targeted interventions are needed to increase sun safety behaviors and to eliminate tanning bed use among young people.

The study uses data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Ireland study, involving 10,271 young people, and looking at sun safety behaviors, sunburn, and the frequency and circumstances of indoor tanning bed use.

Published in the International Journal of Public Health, it found that 90% of young people in the study said they had experienced sunburn at least once, and 74% had in the previous year. In particular, it found an association between the frequency of family holidays abroad and sunburn.

The study, written by researchers from the Health Promotion Research Centre, NUI Galway, and from the Institute of Public Health, in Dublin, said: "One-in-10 children reported sunburn five or more times last summer, and 44% reported five or more lifetime sunburn episodes." It said using sunscreen and wearing sunglasses were the most common safety measures.

However, while the vast majority of children had not used a tanning facility, indoor tanning bed use was reported by around 5%, and a large proportion of users were not advised of any indoor tanning safety measures.

"Girls and children from lower social class groups were most likely to report tanning bed use than boys and those from higher social class groups," it said.

"Among those who responded that they had used indoor tanning beds, 14% reported always being asked about their age, 20% always received advice on their skin type, 24% were always told about health risks, and 30% were always instructed to wear protective goggles. 

"Overall, 35–40% of users reported that the given safety measure was not advised.

"Girls were more likely than boys to report that these safety measures were never advised when they used an indoor tanning bed."

While cautioning that the number of children who reported using tanning facilities was small, the authors said special steps would be needed to better advise those who might use such services.

"Policy interventions and awareness measures will need to be carefully designed to target these groups," it said. "The marketing and promotion techniques for purchasing indoor tanning bed access also need to be monitored and studied to understand the ways in which industry influences tanning desirability among children."

The survey can be read in full here and was funded by the Department of Health.

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