An investigation of appearance motives for tanning: The development and evaluation of the Physical Appearance Reasons For Tanning Scale (PARTS) and its relation to sunbathing and indoor tanning intentions

Guy Cafri, J. Kevin Thompson, Megan Roehrig, Patricia van den Berg, Paul B. Jacobsen, Stephen Stark

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

86 Scopus citations

Abstract

Motives for UV exposure have been shown to be related to appearance concerns, yet little research has examined specific tan appearance attitudes. Given this lacuna, Study 1 involved the identification of six factors among college female tanners: general attractiveness, media influence, family/friends influence, physical fitness appearance, acne reasons, and skin aging concerns. In Study 2, a separate sample of college female tanners were used to validate a higher order factor model, which demonstrated acceptable fit. Additionally, the factors converged in the expected directions, with the general attractiveness and skin aging concerns being the best correlate of UV exposure and sun-protection intentions. The relevance of these findings to skin cancer prevention is discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)199-209
Number of pages11
JournalBody Image
Volume3
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2006
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Body image
  • Scale development
  • Skin cancer
  • Tanning
  • UV exposure

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Applied Psychology
  • General Psychology

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