Examination of the efficacy of an appearance-focused intervention to reduce UV exposure.

This study designed and implemented an appearance-based skin cancer prevention intervention in college-aged females. One hundred and forty-seven respondents were randomly assigned to treatment or control groups. Treatment respondents received a short workbook describing the appearance damaging effects of indoor tanning. At short-term follow-up (2 weeks later) treatment respondents had significantly more negative attitudes toward indoor tanning, and reported fewer intentions to indoor tan. At 2-month follow-up, treatment respondents reported indoor tanning one-half as much as control respondents in the previous 2 months. This appearance-based intervention was able to produce clinically significant changes in indoor tanning use tendencies that could have a beneficial effect on the future development of skin cancer.