Journal of Community Health, Vol. 27, No. 3, June 2002 ( 2002) INDOOR TANNING FACILITY DENSITY IN EIGHTY U.S. CITIES Richard C. Palmer, MPH; Joni A. Mayer, PhD; Susan I. Woodruff, PhD; Laura Eckhardt, MPH; James F. Sallis, PhD ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to examine the number of tanning facilities in select U.S. cities. The twenty most populated cities from each of 4 U.S. regions were selected for the sample. For each city, data on the number of tanning facilities, climate, and general demo- graphic profile were collected. Data for state tanning facility legislation also were collected. A tanning facility density variable was created by dividing the city’s number of facilities by its population size. The 80 cities had an average of 50 facilities each. Results of linear regression analysis indicated that higher density was significantly associated with colder cli- mate, lower median income, and higher proportion of Whites. These data indicate that indoor tanning facilities are prevalent in the environ- ments of U.S. urban-dwellers. Cities having the higher density profile may be logical targets for interventions promoting less or safer use of these facilities. KEY WORDS: skin neoplasms; ultraviolet rays; primary prevention; recreational tanning. INTRODUCTION Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a primary risk factor for melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers. 1,2 Yet, the U.S. tanning indus- try has an estimated worth of 4 billion dollars annually, with approximately 50,000 tanning salons and 28 million users. 3,4 Data indicate that the major- ity of indoor tanners have skin with moderate to high propensities for burning, 5,6 and a marketing study conducted by a tanning bed manufac- turer suggested that over 70% of clients of commercial tanning facilities Richard C. Palmer, MPH was a graduate student; Joni A. Mayer, PhD is Professor; Susan I. Woodruff, PhD is Senior Research Associate; Laura Eckhardt, MPH is Project Manager, all in the Graduate School of Public Health; and James F. Sallis, PhD is Professor in the Department of Psychol- ogy, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA. Requests for reprints should be addressed to Joni A. Mayer, Ph.D., Graduate School of Public Health–Hardy Tower 119, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-4162; e-mail: jmayer@mail.sdsu.edu. This study was funded by a minority research supplement to grant AR 43025 from the National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. 191 0094-5145/02/0600-0191/0  2002 Human Sciences Press, Inc.