ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Passing tanning bed legislation restricting underage use has remained challenging. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the resources required to pass tanning bed legislation restricting use to children and identify key barriers to its passage. METHODS: A total of 15 states sought to pass tanning bed legislation in 2006; in-depth surveys were completed with advocates in 10 states and legislators in 5 states. RESULTS: Advocates sought advice from the sponsoring legislator or legislators (n = 9), held discussions with other organizations (n = 8), and used a lobbyist (n = 5). The 3 major barriers were strong lobbying efforts by the tanning bed industry (n = 10), proceedings after the bill was filed (n = 5), and obtaining support from other organizations (n = 4). For legislators, the most significant barrier was making colleagues aware of the health effects of tanning bed use. LIMITATIONS: Five of 10 legislators and 10 of 15 advocates responded to the survey. CONCLUSION: Barriers to passage of tanning bed legislation can potentially be surmounted with advice to advocates and coordinated efforts by multiple organizations.
