A recent report came from East Tennessee State University exclaiming an “Indoor Tan-Free, Smart Skin” policy.
“One of the goals of the Call to Action is to reduce harms from indoor tanning, and we believe the Indoor Tan-Free Skin Smart Campus Initiative is a big step in that direction,” said Dr. Sophie J. Balk, NCSCP co-chairperson. “By educating college students about skin cancer risk and eliminating indoor tanning on college campuses, we hope to reduce melanoma incidence down the road.” Really?
Apparently, ETSU is joining other groups that want a world without sunbeds. However, they also join the list of those same (hypocritical) groups who are not calling for a moratorium on the uncontrolled exposure college kids get outdoors in the sun.
What would you do to take action if this group descended on your town? Visit sunislife.com today to learn the facts!
To earn this moniker of Smart Skin, “ETSU has agreed to prohibit indoor tanning services in any university building, will not allow any tanning salons to be listed as off-campus merchants on students’ ID Bucs debit card, will refrain from listing on its website any off-campus housing options with indoor tanning as an amenity and will provide relevant educational programming for students, faculty and staff.” Wow! I think they stopped just short of marching and picketing some of the many tanning facilities that dot the Johnson City/Tri-Cities area.
So, who’s behind this push on students in East Tennessee? Well, it looks like the result of a team approach from Drs. Joel Hillgrove and Katie Baker. Back in October 2012, Hillgrove received a grant for nearly $600,000 to study indoor tanning behaviors. His premise: he felt that under-18 tanning bans could lead to more unsupervised use in places such as apartment complexes, fitness clubs and private residences. “We want to educate the public about the dangers of indoor tanning, but there’s a worry that legislation of tanning salons could drive tanning more ‘underground,’ so to speak,” Hillgrove said. Interesting that some of the leading distributors of sunbeds for home use are in this area of East Tennessee.
For her part, Dr. Katie Baker says that mothers need to receive anti-tanning information in order to influence their daughters about the dangers of sunbeds. Note: not the dangers of sunburn and overexposure at, say, the beach. Nope, just sunbeds.
Fast-forward to 2016. The doctors just received a five-year, $3.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute that intends to zero in on the role of social media in public communication campaigns. Now, how to spend that money? Well, let’s take a look at Dr. Baker’s social media plan. She has her eyes set on paying about 2,000 moms $25 each to take part in a survey about “health” attitudes.
So, what would you do to take action if this group descended on your town? Well, get started by sharing factual info with your salon guests about the risk/benefit of controlled UV exposure in a sunbed vs. the uncontrolled exposure to natural sunlight that can lead to sunburn. Get started learning those facts now with Sun is Life® Training and Certification. For more info, visit sunislife.com today! ■
