Jolita Kirvaitienė, Žaneta Maželienė, Diana Barragan Ferrer, Albina Vaičiulevičienė
Abstract
According to the data of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the world about 132 000 malignant melanoma cases are set annually and research related to artificial ultraviolet radiation (UV) effects on health, the findings attributed to ultraviolet light sources to the highest cancer risk categories as in combination with alcohol, cigarettes and asbestos. Irresponsible behavior using tanning services at a young age can cause skin burns, premature skin ageing, eye damage, immune system weakening, skin and eye melanoma, and awareness of ultraviolet radiation health effects related to safety of young girls’ tanning solarium behavior, so our study is to assess University of Applied Sciences Faculty of Medicine girls’ understanding of ultraviolet radiation on health and the solarium tanning behavior. 562 of Kaunas college students of the Faculty of Medicine participated in a questionnaire. The analysis of the survey data showed that solarium services at least once a month and more frequently were used by a quarter of Kaunas University Faculty of Medicine of girls living and studying in a big city, for the majority of respondents tanning solarium duration of one session was an average of 10 minutes. More often girls used solarium shares offered and subscribed to the girls, started tanning services access to 18 years of age. Most of the respondents knew that the solarium emitted ultraviolet radiation on their health. Using solarium provided discounts and shares was mostly related to the image. Girls who started using tanning services later were safer: they more often chose the duration of the sun on theire skin type, sensitivity, solarium manufacturers‘ recommendations and often covered the scars and tattooed body. Most of the girls who tried to follow the tanning solarium rules (recommendations), pretended protective glasses CE-marked.
Keyword(s): ultraviolet radiation; tanning behavior; awareness.
DOI: 10.5200/sm-hs.2016.090
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