Non-heterosexual adolescent black males use tanning beds at rates comparable to heterosexual females, putting them at an increased risk for melanoma, according to a study recently published in JAMA Dermatology.
For the study, researchers analyzed data extracted from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a nationally representative survey of thousands of public high school students. Based upon tanning practices reported in the survey, being a sexual-minority was associated with an independent increase in tanning bed use.
"Many only think of indoor tanning as something people do to darken their skin, so the idea that a black individual would tan at all is hard for some to grasp," said the study's author Aaron Blashill, PhD, a researcher in the department of psychology at San Diego State University. "It is important to understand what's driving indoor tanning among these boys so we can develop future skin cancer prevention and education campaigns targeted at the high-risk group."
More articles on infection control:
Central catheters don't need to be used for saline, study suggests
Researcher turns surgical masks into virus-killing devices
Flu season intensifies: 12 states report widespread activity