Reality TV fans three times likelier to use tanning beds

Researchers from Brooklyn College have claimed that 13 per cent people, who watch shows like 'Snooki 'n' JWoww' and 'Real Housewives' use sunlamps compared to less than four per cent of non-viewers.

They said that reality shows starring bronzed celebrities, encourage viewers to tan as they imply it is something "attractive" and "positive," the Daily Mail reported.

The findings also showed that women were ten times more likely to use tanning lamps than men.

The new findings were based on a survey of 576 college students in their early 20s.

Sixty one per cent of participants said that they watched reality shows but did not specify which ones.

As well as indoor tanning, they were asked about how much time they had spent in the sun over the past year.

Among those who watched reality TV 43 per cent said that they had tanned outdoors for more than two hours at a time compared to 29 per cent of non-viewers.

Lead researcher Joshua Fogel said that another reason could be that people who are tanned in the first place like watching reality shows as the characters look more like them.

The findings have been published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

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