Open AccessChanges in solarium numbers in Australia following negative media and legislation
Author(s) -
Makin Jennifer K.,
Dobbinson Suzanne J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2009.00436.x
Subject(s) - legislation , publicity , audit , business , enforcement , environmental health , geography , medicine , political science , accounting , law , marketing
Objective:To monitor changes in the number of indoor tanning facilities in Australia's capital cities following widespread negative publicity and the introduction of legislation in some states.Methods:An audit of listings under Solarium/Tanning Centres in the most recent hard copy Yellow Pages for Australia's capital cities was conducted, and results were compared with those from a previous audit from 2006.Results:There was a 32% drop in solarium listings for Australia's capital cities between 2006 and 2008/09. In most cases, larger decreases were observed in states where legislation was introduced.Conclusions:Despite underestimating solarium numbers, regular audits of business listings can be a useful way of monitoring trends, particularly when more accurate figures are not available. Solarium numbers can decrease following a combination of negative publicity and legislation.Implications:To achieve and maintain predicted reductions in skin cancer incidence, mortality and costs to the health system, solarium legislation should be a priority for those states where it has not yet been introduced, accompanied by compliance monitoring and enforcement to ensure it is effective.