Abstract
ABSTRACT: The prevalence of skin cancer has grown significantly over the past decade, although it remains one of the most preventable forms of cancer. Young women are increasing their chances of being diagnosed with skin cancer by exposing themselves to harmful ultraviolet rays in tanning beds. This systematic review will identify young women's knowledge of and exposure to tanning beds. This review is based on existing studies using empirical evidence. The computer databases used to identify the studies included Cinahl, PubMed, and Cochrane. The search results were filtered to include publication dates later than 2006 to capture the current cultural beliefs and knowledge. All searches were performed before September 29, 2012, and all articles were in the English language. The systematic procedure for this review was modeled after the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis statement. This systematic review of literature will identify whether young women ages 15-20 years are aware of the consequences of the tanning salon and still decide to tan or unaware of the consequences, they tan and, if so, how often they do tan. The overall outcome of the systematic review will identify whether a need for more education among young women relating to skin cancer prevention and exposure is needed.