JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanning is common and consequential, increasing the risk for cancers including melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. At risk-groups include adolescents and young adults, who often report beliefs about benefits of tanning. Adolescent and young adults are also among the most ubiquitous social media users. As previous studies support that content about tanning is common on social media, this may be a way that young women are exposed to influential content promoting tanning, including health misinformation.

Objective:

To evaluate health misinformation promoted by indoor tanning businesses via social media, and to understand young women’s perceptions of this misinformation.

Methods:

Content analysis finings included data from indoor tanning businesses (n=147) across 50 states, yielding 4956 total posts. Among 9 health misinformation topics identified, the most common was posts promoting UV tanning as a safe way to get Vitamin D (n=73, 1.5%). An example post was “Stop by Body and Sol to get your daily dose of Vitamin D.” Another misinformation topic was promoting tanning for health benefits (n=31, 0.62%), one example post was “the flu is not a season, it’s an inability to adapt due to decreased sun exposure…” A total of 46 participants completed interviews who had average age 20 (SD=2). Almost all participants (98%) used Facebook; 43.5% followed an indoor tanning business on social media. Approximately half of participants reported seeing social media posts from tanning salons about Vitamin D, one example was “I have [seen that] a few times...” Among those participants, about half believed it was safe to get Vitamin D from indoor UV tanning; one example quote was: “I think it is a valid benefit to UV tanning.”

Results:

Indoor tanning businesses (n=147) were evaluated across 50 states, yielding 4956 posts. Almost all participants (98%) used Facebook; 43.5% followed an indoor tanning business on social media. Among 8 health misinformation topics, the most common was misinformation about Vitamin D (n=73, 1.5%). Approximately half (43%) reported seeing social media posts about Vitamin D; one participant described: “I have [seen that] a few times...”

Conclusions:

Despite low frequency of social media posts promoting health misinformation, participants commonly reported viewing these posts, and their perceptions aligned with health misinformation viewed. Health education campaigns, possibly using social media to target at risk populations, may be an innovative approach for prevention messages.