Association Between State Indoor Tanning Legislation and Google Search Trends Data in the United States From 2006 to 2019: Time-Series Analysis

Carolyn Heckman, PhD, Yong Lin, PhD, Mary Riley, MPH, Yaqun Wang, PhD, Trishnee Bhurosy, PhD, Anna Mitarotondo, BA, Baichen Xu, MS, Jerod Stapleton, PhD
JMIR Dermatology

Internet search trends indicate public interest in a topic and are associated with actual health-related events. 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 free, publicly available data from Google Trends from 2006 to 2019.

CDC - Skin Cancer - Success Story: Reducing Indoor Tanning on College Campuses

“Universities can play an important role in creating a culture and establishing norms around healthy behavior,” said Dr. Sherry Pagoto, “The purpose of Skin Smart is to give them the tools to do just that.”

George Washington University Medical Students Lead Event Addressing Disparity in Skin Cancer Morbidity and Mortality

Sarah Millan, BA and Adam Friedman, MD, FAAD
MDedge Dermatology

Those who self-identify as Hispanic or Black have a lower self-perceived risk of melanoma. In fact, people of color receive little to no information concerning skin cancer risks and prevention strategies. They often experience a longer time from diagnosis to definitive surgery, resulting in far worse outcomes, compared with non-Hispanic Whites. While the average 5-year survival rate for melanoma is 92% in White patients, it drops to 67% in Black patients. This reality is what led Sarah Millan, a 4th-year medical student at George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences to focus on the Ward 8 community in Washington, D.C. – one of the poorest regions in our nation’s capital – well known for limited access to medical care and referred to as a health care desert.

A Call to Action to Eliminate Indoor Tanning

Carolyn J Heckman, PhD, David B Buller, PhD, Jerod Stapleton, PhD
JAMA Dermatology Viewpoint

An estimated 419,245 cases of skin cancer in the US each year are attributable to indoor tanning. Efforts to increase regulations on indoor tanning continue, given its well-established association with melanoma and keratinocyte cancers as well as its popularity among adolescents and young adults. This Viewpoint provides an overview of legislative efforts to limit indoor tanning among minors, discusses policy adoption and implementation challenges, and calls on dermatologists and others to help eliminate indoor tanning to decrease skin cancer incidence.