Knowledge and practice of recreational tanning among female college students in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A cross sectional study

This study investigates whether Saudi female college students are practicing recreational tanning and analyzes the level of their awareness regarding the consequences of tanning as a cause for skin cancer and photoaging. A cross-sectional study of randomly selected female college students from two non-medical universities from the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The total number of participants was n=249. About 21.5% of participants with skin type I-II preferred outdoor tanning and no one preferred indoor tanning. Of those with skin type III-V, 23% preferred outdoor tanning, and 2.5% preferred indoor tanning. Among subjects who practiced both indoor and outdoor tanning 63% stayed more than 20 minutes while 36% stayed less than 20 minutes. The use of sunscreen was practiced in 70% of those who tanned. Sixty percent of subjects did not know that tanning caused early skin aging and 44% did not know the relationship of skin cancer and tanning. A significant number of Saudi female college students practice recreational tanning, regardless of their skin type. There is a clear lack of knowledge on tanning effect on risk of skin cancer and photoaging.
Source: Journal of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery - Category: Dermatology Source Type: research