JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Indoor tanning is a preventable risk factor for skin cancer. Statewide shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in temporary closures of tanning businesses. Little is known about how tanners reacted to losing access to tanning businesses. Objective The present study analyzed Twitter chatter about indoor tanning during the statewide pandemic shutdowns.

Objective:

The present study analyzed Twitter chatter about indoor tanning during the statewide pandemic shutdowns.

Methods:

We collected tweets from March 15 to April 30, 2020, and performed a directed content analysis of a random sample of 20% of tweets from each week (n=1,165). Two coders independently rated themes (κ = .67-1.0, 94-100% agreement).

Results:

About half (50.6%) of tweets were by people unlikely to indoor tan, and most of these mocked tanners or the act of tanning (94.9%). Thirty-four percent of tweets were posted by users likely to indoor tan, and most of these (64.7%) mentioned missing tanning beds, often citing appearance- or mood-related reasons. Some tweets expressed a desire to purchase or use home tanning beds (12.7%), while only 3.9% mentioned tanning alternatives (e.g., self-tanner). Very few tweets (2.5%) were public health messages about the dangers of indoor tanning.

Conclusions:

Findings revealed that during statewide shutdowns, half of the tweets about indoor tanning were mocking tanning bed users and/or the tanned look, while about one-third were indoor tanners reacting to their inability to access tanning beds. Future work is needed to understand emerging trends in tanning post-pandemic.