Health-related risks of tattooing among adolescents in Zamboanga City

This study described the perceived health-related risks of tattooing practices among tattooed adolescents in Zamboanga City. It also determined the socio demographic profiles, motivational factors as well as the high-risk and low risk of this practice. The study utilized face-to-face survey interview using self administered survey questionnaire. The respondents were selected through chain referrals or snowball technique. Included in the study were 58 tattooed adolescents between fourteen to twenty-four years old who resided in Zamboanga City. The mean age of all tattooed adolescents was 18 years old and Roman Catholic, Visayan and Zamboangeo, majority of the respondents reached high school. Majority of the respondents father reached college and self-employed; while mothers reached high school and most were housewives. A tattooed adolescent belonged to low economic status with an estimated family income of Php. 5,000 and below. Generally, tattooed adolescents were extrinsically motivated to get a tattoo. Majority of them were influenced by their peers, members of the fraternity and wanted to prove that they belonged to a social group. Tattooed adolescents were involved in both high-risk and low-risk tattooing practices. High-risks tattooing practices can be characterized with the adolescents choice of amateur artist as well as amateurs house; low-risks tattooing practices included choosing small size and single or one tattoo as well as selecting body parts that were away from bonny parts. Males preferred to choose body parts located at the arms, while females chose back tattoo, specifically the lower back. Most of the tattooed adolescents perceived no health-related risk in relation to different tattooing practices such as size, number of tattoos, tattooed body parts (arms, buttocks, and back), tattoo artist, place of acquisition, and tattoo pigment. Most of them perceived that body parts located near joint or bone were more painful to be pierced. Only few of them perceived health-related risks of tattooing practices. The most mentioned health-related risks were pain and infection. Educational attainment and extrinsic motives were two of the factors affecting perceived health-related risks, specifically in choosing amateur artist. Majority of the tattooed adolescent experienced pain followed by bleeding and inflammation in terms of having the size and number of tattoos and tattooed body parts. Almost all of the respondents reported no health-related risk in regard to tattoo artist, place of acquisition and tattoo pigment