1. First Evaluation of the Behavioral Addiction Indoor Tanning Screener (BAITS) in a nationwide representative sample
K. Diehl, T. Görig, E.W. Breitbart, R. Greinert, J.J. Hillhouse,
J.L. Stapleton, S. Schneider
Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Social and Preventive Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University
British Journal of Dermatology, doi: /bjd.15888

2. Dr Katharina Diehl

3. Introduction What’s already known?
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been classified as carcinogenic to humans
One important source of exposure to UV rays are indoor tanning (IT) facilities
A growing body of research provides preliminarily support for viewing excessive tanning as a behaviour with addictive potential
Different screening instruments for IT addiction exist but concerns about their internal consistency as well as the internal and external validity have been raised

4. Introduction
Recently, a new instrument, the brief screener BAITS (Behavioral Addiction Indoor Tanning Screener), was developed based on the addiction disorder model published by the American Psychiatric Association
BAITS is designed to capture the main features of addictive behaviours, such as experience of diminished control over a behaviour and temptations that lead to urges or craving for the behaviour
BAITS was examined regarding its validity in a non-representative sample

5. Objective
To use cognitive interviewing to check whether the BAITS items were understood and interpreted as intended
To use the Germany-wide dataset to quantify the number of individuals reporting multiple symptoms on the BAITS using a representative sample for the first time
To analyse validity and reliability of the instrument

6. Methods Cognitive interviews
Interviews with 5 current and 5 past users of tanning beds
Aim: to test if the seven BAITS items were intelligible and interpreted by the participants as intended
Representative survey
Nationwide telephone survey among 3,000 individuals
Aim: to measure reliability (internal consistency), construct validity, and criterion validity of the BAITS

7. Results Cognitive interviews Most items were understood as intended
Slight change of the wording of one item

8. Results Representative survey
High internal consistency of the seven BAITS items
All items load on one factor (construct validity)
Usage parameters were significantly associated with BAITS (criterion validity)

9. Results Representative survey
Among current users, 19.7% screened positive for symptoms of a potential IT addiction
Among former users, 1.8% screened positive for symptoms of a potential IT addiction

10. Discussion What does this study add?
Compared to other short instruments measuring symptoms of a potential indoor tanning addiction, the BAITS seems to be a valid and reliable tool
With its short length and binary items the BAITS is easy to use in large surveys

11. Conclusions
The multimethod approach showed that the BAITS is a valid and reliable tool that can be used in surveys
The BAITS may also help physicians and healthcare providers to identify individuals in particular need of counselling to avoid the continuous use of sunbeds
Further tests of the BAITS will show, how accurate it is in identifying IT addicted individuals

12. Team of the National Cancer Aid Monitoring (NCAM) on Sunbed Use
Prof. Dr. phil. Sven Schneider, M.A.
Dr. phil. Katharina Diehl, Dipl.-Soz.
Dr. rer. pol. Tatiana Görig, M.A.
Prof. Dr. med. Eckhard W. Breitbart
Dr. Rüdiger Greinert

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