Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States.
Medtronic, Denver, CO, United States.
JMIR Dermatol. 2021 Apr 9;4(1):e26707. doi: 10.2196/26707.
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or indoor tanning is the cause of most skin cancers. Although indoor tanning has decreased in recent years, it remains most common among adolescents and young adults, whose skin is particularly vulnerable to long-term damage. US states have adopted several types of legislation to attempt to minimize indoor tanning among minors: a ban on indoor tanning among all minors, a partial minor ban by age (eg, <14 years), or the requirement of parental consent or accompaniment for tanning. Currently, only 6 US states have no indoor tanning legislation for minors.
This study investigated whether internet searches (as an indicator of interest) related to indoor tanning varied across US states by the type of indoor tanning legislation, using data from Google Trends from 2006 to 2019.
We conducted a time-series analysis of Google Trends data on indoor tanning from 2006 to 2019 by US state. Time-series linear regression models were generated to assess the Google Trends data over time by the type of indoor tanning legislation.
We found that indoor tanning search rates decreased significantly for all 50 states and the District of Columbia over time (P<.01). The searches peaked in 2012 when indoor tanning received marked attention (eg, indoor tanning was banned for all minors by the first state-California). The reduction in search rates was more marked for states with a complete ban among minors compared to those with less restrictive types of legislation.
Our findings are consistent with those of other studies on the association between indoor tanning regulations and attitudinal and behavioral trends related to indoor tanning. The main limitation of the study is that raw search data were not available for more precise analysis. With changes in interest and norms, indoor tanning and skin cancer risk among young people may change. Future studies should continue to determine the impact of such public health policies in order to inform policy efforts and minimize risks to public health.
暴露在太阳或室内晒黑的紫外线辐射是大多数皮肤癌的原因。尽管近年来室内晒黑有所减少，但它在青少年和年轻人中仍然最为常见，他们的皮肤特别容易受到长期损害。美国各州已经通过了几种类型的立法，试图最大限度地减少未成年人的室内晒黑：禁止所有未成年人进行室内晒黑，按年龄（例如，<14 岁）部分禁止未成年人进行室内晒黑，或要求父母同意或陪同晒黑。目前，只有 6 个美国州没有针对未成年人的室内晒黑立法。
本研究使用 2006 年至 2019 年谷歌趋势的数据，调查了美国各州的室内晒黑立法类型是否与互联网搜索（作为兴趣的指标）相关。
我们对美国各州 2006 年至 2019 年的室内晒黑谷歌趋势数据进行了时间序列分析。生成时间序列线性回归模型，以根据室内晒黑立法的类型评估随时间变化的谷歌趋势数据。
我们发现，随着时间的推移，所有 50 个州和哥伦比亚特区的室内晒黑搜索率都显著下降（P<.01）。搜索率在 2012 年达到峰值，当时室内晒黑受到了广泛关注（例如，加利福尼亚州首先禁止所有未成年人进行室内晒黑）。与立法限制较少的州相比，未成年人完全禁止室内晒黑的州搜索率下降更为明显。
我们的研究结果与其他关于室内晒黑法规与室内晒黑相关态度和行为趋势之间关联的研究一致。研究的主要局限性是无法获得更精确分析的原始搜索数据。随着兴趣和规范的变化，年轻人的室内晒黑和皮肤癌风险可能会发生变化。未来的研究应继续确定此类公共卫生政策的影响，以便为政策努力提供信息并最大限度地减少对公共健康的风险。
