Although the use of tanning beds have been linked to skin cancer, latest survey has found that 12 percent of the top 125 colleges in the United States gave students access to on-campus tanning beds, and 48 percent referred them to off-campus housing that offered indoor tanning to students. Some facilities even accepted free tanning for student tenants or campus credit as payment.
The survey, which was published on Oct. 29, shows the alarming mixed message that the colleges are sending to their students. With cancer rates, particularly of melanoma - a deadly form of skin cancer, soaring all over the country, critics are saying that indoor tanning should be discouraged and even prohibited in colleges and affiliated housing facilities for students.
Previous studies have already shown the popularity of tanning beds among college students, particularly among female, non-Latino young adults. However, this is the first study to look at the easy accessibility of indoor tanning services in and around colleges.
Sherry Pagoto, who led the team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, warns universities of the dangers that the use of tanning beds pose to students.
"The presence of indoor tanning facilities on and near college campuses may passively reinforce indoor tanning in college students, thereby facilitating behavior that will increase their risk for skin cancer both in the short term and later in life," she said.
Although tanning beds are often used by students to relax and unwind after the stress of school, particularly during the cold winter months, instead of unhealthy tanning beds, the researchers and other health and fitness experts want the campuses to encourage healthier lifestyle choices for their students. "Universities should instead court new students with enticing health facilities such as gyms, swimming pools and healthy dining options," Pagoto said.
They want to see the tanning facilities banned at campuses and off-campus student housing, similar to tobacco bans on school premises, to encourage healthy body image rather than indoor tans and reduce the risk of skin cancer for the student population.
