A Social Media–Based Public Health Campaign to Reduce Indoor Tanning in High-Risk Populations
Isabella de Vere Hunt, BM, BCh,
Zhuo Ran Cai, MD,
Vanessa Nava, BS,
Natnaelle E. Admassu, MD, MS,
Stephanie Bousheri, BS,
Tiffani Johnson, BS,
Anna Tomz,
Jessica Thompson, BA,
Lucy Zhang, BA,
Sherry Pagoto, PhD,
Mackenzie R. Wehner, MD, MPhil,
Maya B. Mathur, PhD,
Eleni Linos, MD, MPH, DrPH
Affiliations
Isabella de Vere Hunt, BM, BCh
Program for Clinical Research and Technology, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Zhuo Ran Cai, MD
Program for Clinical Research and Technology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Vanessa Nava, BS
Program for Clinical Research and Technology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Natnaelle E. Admassu, MD, MS
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
Stephanie Bousheri, BS
Program for Clinical Research and Technology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Tiffani Johnson, BS
Program for Clinical Research and Technology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Anna Tomz
Program for Clinical Research and Technology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Jessica Thompson, BA
Program for Clinical Research and Technology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Lucy Zhang, BA
Program for Clinical Research and Technology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Sherry Pagoto, PhD
Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, Connecticut
Mackenzie R. Wehner, MD, MPhil
Department of Health Services Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas; Department of Dermatology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Maya B. Mathur, PhD
Quantitative Sciences Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Eleni Linos, MD, MPH, DrPH
Program for Clinical Research and Technology, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Dermatology, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Address correspondence to: Eleni Linos, MD, MPH, DrPH, Department of Dermatology, Stanford University, 269 Campus Drive, Suite 4235 CCSR, Palo Alto CA 94305.
Introduction: Indoor tanning beds cause more than 450,000 new skin cancers each year, yet their use remains common, with a global indoor tanning prevalence of 10.4%. Social media provides an opportunity for cost-effective, targeted public health messaging. We sought to direct Instagram users at high risk of indoor tanning to accurate health information about the risks of indoor tanning and to reduce indoor tanning bed use. Methods: We disseminated a public health campaign on Instagram on April 6–27, 2022 with 34 video and still-image advertisements. We had 2 target audiences at high risk of indoor tanning: women aged 18–30 years in Kentucky, Nebraska, Ohio, or Tennessee interested in indoor tanning and men aged 18–45 years in California interested in indoor tanning. To evaluate the impact of the campaign, we tracked online metrics, including website visits, and conducted an interrupted time-series analysis of foot traffic data in our target states for all tanning salons documented on SafeGraph from January 1, 2018 to 3 months after the campaign. Results: Our indoor tanning health information advertisements appeared on Instagram feeds 9.1 million times, reaching 1.06 million individuals. We received 7,004 views of our indoor tanning health information landing page (Average Time on Page of 56 seconds). We did not identify a significant impact on foot traffic data on tanning salons. Conclusions: We show the successful use of social media advertising to direct high-risk groups to online health information about indoor tanning. Future research quantifying tanning visits before and after indoor tanning interventions is needed to guide future public health efforts.
