Indoor Tanning among Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents and Adults: Results from the 2020 Pennsylvania LGBT Health Needs Assessment

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations include individuals whose sexual orientation, gender identity, or reproductive development is characterized by nonbinary sexual constructs (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals). Previous research suggests that some SGM populations have higher rates of skin cancer. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of diverse SGM identities with indoor tanning, a risk factor for skin cancer, while exploring other relevant co-occurring risk factors. A secondary analysis was performed on the 2020 LGBT Health Needs Assessment collected by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Measures included sexual orientation, gender identity, healthcare utilization, and cancer risk factors. Cisgender SGM men are more likely to use indoor tanning devices (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.79; 95% CI: 1.31–2.44) compared to other SGM subpopulations independent of sexual orientation. Indoor tanning was also associated with alcohol (aOR = 1.94; 95% CI: 1.50–2.51) and tobacco use (aOR = 1.64; 95% CI: 1.21–2.21). Findings suggest that targeted screening for skin cancer risk behaviors could accompany standard tobacco and alcohol screenings in clinical practice.