The indoor tanning behaviors of undergraduate women: a theory of planned behavior approach

Courtright, JohnAlthough intention to use tanning beds is reportedly (1) predicted by attitude towards tanning, perceived behavioral control over tanning, and actual tanning behavior, and (2) correlated with behavioral beliefs and control beliefs, it is unknown if intention to use tanning beds is correlated with normative beliefs. Furthermore, it is unknown which specific behavioral and control beliefs are correlated with intention to use tanning beds. This study utilized the Theory of Planned Behavior to evaluate the findings of previous studies, as well as the relationship between normative, behavioral, and control beliefs and undergraduate women???s tanning intentions, using a multiple regression analysis and Pearson product-moment correlations. Respondents were 93 female and 28 male University of Delaware undergraduate students. All respondents participated in an online survey conducted in March 2013. Attitude toward indoor-tanning, perceived behavioral control over indoor-tanning, and past tanning behavior were found to be significant predictors of intention to use tanning beds. In addition, this study found that multiple behavioral, normative, and control beliefs were significantly correlated with intention to use tanning beds. The results could potentially provide anti-tanning intervention designers with a clearer understanding of why undergraduate women use tanning beds and how to most effectively persuade them to discontinue that use.University of Delaware, Department of CommunicationM.A