ASPO Abstracts
Development and formative testing of a web-based brief motivational intervention targeting frequent indoor tanning bed users
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2019
Abstract Body:
Purpose of the Study: To describe the development and pilot trial results (acceptabilityand preliminary outcomes) of a web-based, brief motivational skin cancer intervention to reduce frequentindoor tanning bed use. Methods: The intervention, modeled after brief motivational interventions to reducealcohol use among young adults, utilizes interactive questions/features to assess participants’ perceptionsand provide subsequent tailored personalized feedback. Content addresses perceived benefits and costsof tanning, discrepancies between costs of tanning and important values, and promotes sunless tanningalternatives and other behavior change strategies. Forty young adult women who reported indoor tanningat least 25 times in the past 12 months were randomly assigned to an intervention or waitlistcondition with pre and post assessments. Intervention acceptability was assessed by an evaluation surveyimmediately following the web intervention. Preliminary outcomes were assessed at 3-months post baseline.Results: Study retention rates was high (75%) and participants provided positiveintervention evaluations on several dimensions (e.g., interesting, understandable, useful) with means ranging from8.76 to 9.36 (scale response values from 1 (least favorable) to 10 (most favorable)). Measures of message engagement and perceived value (e.g., the intervention made me think, the information saidsomething important to me) were also favorable (means ranging from 1.03 to 1.58, response optionsfrom -2 (strongly disagree) to 2 (strongly agree)). Preliminary outcome analyses showed no differences inindoor tanning rates at follow-up between conditions. Increases in use of sunless tanning alternatives atfollow-up were higher among intervention participants compared to controls (partial eta squared for timeby condition intervention = .16 for use of sunless tanning lotions and .08 for spray tanning). Conclusions: Preliminary results provide evidence that the indoor tanning intervention isacceptable to participants and may promote uptake of sunless tanning alternatives among frequent indoortanners.
Keywords: indoor tanning beds;skin cancer prevention; ehealth behavior intervention