“It just happens”: A qualitative analysis of unintentional tanning behaviors

Objective: Suntanning is a strong risk factor for skin cancer. Although intentional tanning is common among college students, their unintentional tanning is not well characterized. We aimed to examine (1) how college students conceptualized unintentional tanning, (2) how they perceived outcomes of unintentional tanning, and (3) potentially predictive factors that can be tested in future large-scale studies. Participants: 30 Northeast US college students who reported any unintentional tanning in the past year. Methods: Data were collected using semi-structured interviews in November 2019 and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: College students identified outdoor activities as a reason for recent unintentional tanning. A range of attitudes, positive and negative, were conveyed. Many discussed past sunburns and the circumstances surrounding them. The roles of culture and racial/ethnic background in tanning were important to many. Conclusions: This study adds complexity to previous understandings of college students’ tanning; implications include the development of behavioral interventions.