White Coat Notes

Sunless tanning cuts sunbathing, Massachusetts study says

September 27, 2010

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Trying to convince sunbathers not to get a tan is a tough sell. They’ve heard about the dangers of skin cancer and the wisdom of sunscreen, but that won’t get them off the beach.

New research from the University of Massachusetts Medical School suggests sunless tanning products — smoothed on from a tube or applied in a spray booth — can cut down on time spent soaking up the rays. The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute.

Sherry Pagoto led a team that set up tents at Revere and Nantasket beaches where on alternate early-summer days they offered women the chance to learn about sunless tanning, get free samples, hear about skin cancer risk, and have a special photo taken that would reveal sun damage on their faces. On the other days, women had their pictures taken and completed surveys about sun safety. All 250 participants were contacted two months and one year later.

“We thought we needed to meet people where they are, promote alternatives, and see if they use them, and then see if they reduced their sunbathing,’’ Pagoto said in an interview. “People find tans attractive. There are not many unhealthy behaviors for which there is a healthy alternative.’’

After two months, the sunless tanning group said they were sunbathing 33 percent less while the other group said they were sunbathing 10 percent less than at the start of the study. After a year, the sunless tanners said they were sunbathing 35 percent less and women in the other group were sunbathing 14 percent less.

“The bottom line is that sunless tanning can be a part of skin cancer prevention messages,’’ Pagoto said. “Sunless tanning is really helpful for people for whom that’s the primary reasons why they’re exposing themselves to UV radiation from the sun or the tanning booth.’’

Sunless tanners don’t protect against harmful ultraviolet light, but they may work better than sunscreen if they reduce sun exposure. Pagoto’s previous research has shown that going to beaches to teach people about skin cancer and promote sunscreen use may mean they apply more sunscreen, but it doesn’t get them out of the sun.

Looking tan is only one reason people go to the beach or tanning booth, Pagoto says. She agrees with an editorial also appearing in the Archives of Dermatology that says some people tan to relax and become dependent on the way it makes them feel.

“Tanning for reasons of appearance, such as to look better or healthier, can be immediately satisfied with sunless tanning, but sunless tanning is a single hammer and there are many nails,’’ June Robinson and colleagues from Northwestern University write.

ELIZABETH COONEY

Phone coaching tied to reduced medical costs

When people with chronic conditions such as diabetes or asthma get regular telephone calls from health professionals who help them manage their illnesses, their health improves, studies have shown. But research has been less clear on whether such telephone support saves money.

A new study from a Boston-based company that provides telephone care management reports that a targeted program cut medical costs. The article appears in last week’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. David Wennberg, chief science and products officer of Health Dialog Services, led the study that tested care management among almost 175,000 people privately insured by seven large employers. The researchers randomly divided the employees in half. More people got coaching in one group than the other.

After one year, total monthly medical costs for the group with more members receiving coaching were almost $8 per person lower than in the other group. Most of the savings came from fewer hospital admissions. E.C.

Salem State to ban tobacco on campus

Salem State University will go tobacco-free next academic year, the North Shore school said, joining the ranks of about 260 colleges and universities throughout the country.

Based on recommendations from a committee made up of faculty, staff, and students, the university will extend its current policies prohibiting smoking in its buildings to the entire campus, according to a letter e-mailed to the Salem State community recently. Chewing and smokeless tobacco products will also be included in the ban.

About 10,000 students attend Salem State, about 2,000 of whom live on campus. There are about 1,100 people who work there. Students and staff will be offered help to quit smoking before the new policy goes into effect on Sept. 1, 2011.

According to smoking opponents such as Tobaccofreeu.org that track tobacco-free campuses, about 260 colleges and universities across the country have banned smoking.

In Massachusetts, three community colleges — Cape Cod, Mount Wachusett, and Bristol — also prohibit tobacco from their buildings and grounds.

E.C.