John
11-13-2009, 05:25 PM
The information, from Cancer Research UK, shows that girls as young as 11 are experiencing peer pressure encouraging them to get a tan.
It also identifies a clear north-south divide in the use of sunbeds by young people.
In a letter for the British Medical Journal, experts from the charity said 6 per cent of 11 to 17-year-olds in England use sunbeds. But that figure rises to 11 per cent in the north.
In Liverpool and Sunderland, half of all 15 to 17-year-old girls use sunbeds, and more than two in five use them at least once a week.
Using sunbeds is known to increase the risk of developing malignant melanoma, a potentially fatal form of skin cancer which kills more than 2,000 people a year in the UK.
Tanning on sunbeds before the age of 35 has been linked to a 75 per cent increased risk of developing malignant melanoma and the number of cases in the UK has quadrupled since the 1970s.
The study also found children from poorer backgrounds are more likely to use sunbeds than those from more affluent families.
Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK's director of health information, said said the charity was calling on the Government to take strong action.
"Numerous other countries, including Scotland, have introduced legislation to protect children from sunbeds," she said. "We are calling on the Government to introduce legislation as a matter of urgency."
It also identifies a clear north-south divide in the use of sunbeds by young people.
In a letter for the British Medical Journal, experts from the charity said 6 per cent of 11 to 17-year-olds in England use sunbeds. But that figure rises to 11 per cent in the north.
In Liverpool and Sunderland, half of all 15 to 17-year-old girls use sunbeds, and more than two in five use them at least once a week.
Using sunbeds is known to increase the risk of developing malignant melanoma, a potentially fatal form of skin cancer which kills more than 2,000 people a year in the UK.
Tanning on sunbeds before the age of 35 has been linked to a 75 per cent increased risk of developing malignant melanoma and the number of cases in the UK has quadrupled since the 1970s.
The study also found children from poorer backgrounds are more likely to use sunbeds than those from more affluent families.
Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK's director of health information, said said the charity was calling on the Government to take strong action.
"Numerous other countries, including Scotland, have introduced legislation to protect children from sunbeds," she said. "We are calling on the Government to introduce legislation as a matter of urgency."