Dying for a Tan: A Survey to Assess Solarium Adherence to World Health Organization Guidelines in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom

Background: Increased use of solariums worldwide has led to health concerns linking regular exposure to ultraviolet light with skin cancer. Most studies have attempted to delineate attitudes and motivations of users, with little inquiry into those entrusted as “service providers.” Methods: A questionnaire was designed specifically for the survey on the basis of World Health Organization guidelines. Twenty-one solariums in major cities from each country were randomly chosen via telephone directory and visited in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. A prospective customer asked a series of questions to assess conformity with these guidelines. Results: Solariums in Australia were most successful at adhering to World Health Organization guidelines, followed closely by those in the United Kingdom. Overall, solariums in New Zealand did not comply as well, especially with the use of consent forms, and did not adequately inform customers of the potential adverse side effects including skin cancer risks. Conclusions: Our data have shown several differences in the way solariums conform to guidelines in our 3 chosen countries. A plausible reason for these differences is the difference in solarium regulations worldwide. The limited number of solariums selected for the survey, together with individual country variation, does not enable firm conclusions to be drawn about the operations of solariums in each country. However, it does provide knowledge of the variation between solariums and further suggests the need to evaluate the workings of these service providers in each country.