Despite the very real risk of skin cancer, tanning beds are available on campus or in off-campus housing at about half of the United States' top colleges.
Researchers found among U.S. News and World Report's 125 top colleges, 48 percent had indoor tanning facilities and over half a million students had access to tanning beds on campus, the University of Massachusetts Medical School reported.
Past research has shown individuals who use tanning beds before the age of 30 increase their risk of developing melanoma by 75 percent, skin cancer rates in the U.S. have also been increasing dramatically.
To make their findings the researchers looked at the first 125 colleges in the U.S. News and World Report 2013 list of the best colleges and universities for undergraduate education in the United States. They determined if students had access to tanning beds on campus or in off-campus housing and if they were offered discounts or the ability to pay for the services with campus cash.
The team found the Midwest had the highest percentage of schools with tanning bed access on campus (29.9 percent), or off campus (61.5 percent); the Northeast had the second highest rate of access (13 percent on campus, 19.6 percent off-campus).
Among the colleges with tanning beds available in off-campus housing, almost all offered unlimited access at no charge. Campus cash cards could be used to purchase tanning sessions in 14 percent of the colleges.
"We encourage universities to adopt a 'tan free campus' policy by prohibiting tanning beds and booths from campuses and discouraging housing facilities from having beds," said lead author Sherry Pagoto, PhD, associate professor of medicine. "Universities should instead court new students with enticing health facilities such as gyms, swimming pools and healthy dining options."
The findings were published Oct 29 in the journal JAMA Dermatology.
