- ‘Girly’ females more likely to use sunbeds and less likely to exercise
- Boys who want to be seen as more ‘manly’ more likely to smoke
- Study the first to look at link between gender constructs and cancer
21:05 EST, 15 April 2014
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02:41 EST, 16 April 2014
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Trying to be ‘girly’ or ‘macho’ puts teenagers at a greater risk of cancer, researchers warn.
This is because girls who want see themselves as very feminine are more likely to use sunbeds and less likely to exercise, a study shows.
And boys who want to be seen as masculine are more likely to smoke because they perceive it as ‘manly’.
Girls who want see themselves as very feminine are more likely to use sunbeds and less likely to exercise, an American study has found (library image)
However, boys who define themselves as the least masculine and girls who define themselves as the least feminine are also more likely to smoke.
Researchers believe this may be in response to being seen as outsiders or because of bullying due to their ‘gender non-conformity’ or perceived sexual orientation.
The American study, published online by the Journal of Adolescent Health, was the first to look at cancer risk behaviours in teenagers based on how macho or girly they saw themselves.
Andrea Roberts, research associate at Harvard School of Public Health, said: ‘Our findings indicate that socially constructed ideas of masculinity and femininity heavily influence teens’ behaviours and put them at increased risk for cancer.
Boys who want to be seen as more manly take up smoking, increasingly their risk of lunch cancer, the study suggests. It was the first to look at a relationship between gender constructs and cancer risks (library image)
‘Though there is nothing inherently masculine about using tobacco, or inherently feminine about using a tanning booth, these industries have convinced some teens that these behaviours are a way to express their masculinity or femininity.’
The researchers studied 9,435 teenagers.
Boys who described themselves as ‘very masculine’ were 55 per cent more likely to smoke while the most feminine girls were 32 per cent more likely to use sunbeds and 16 per cent more likely to be physically inactive.
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The comments below have not been moderated.
83nSunny,
IcyBeach, Michigan,
9 minutes ago
Lord knows how many tax dollars were wasted on this rubbish.
SudsyS,
Virginia Beach, United States,
13 minutes ago
And their busted looking.
kittycat90,
Leeds, United Kingdom,
21 minutes ago
I’m girly, but I smoke. I don’t use sunbeds, I did once because I have really bad acne and it clears it up.
Lucy,
somewhere, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
I’m quite girly, but I don’t use sunbeds. You’re just dumb if you use sunbeds, not girly.
caroline,
Como,
1 hour ago
This is the most ridiculous research ever, who came up with this sheet!
CaptainChaos22,
Devon, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
What utter bilge
Alderton,
Sydney, Australia,
1 hour ago
American research…..
Danni,
UK,
2 hours ago
The only time I use sun beds is a few times before holidays otherwise I burn really bad even with suncream
Ericjimbob,
Tunbridge Wells, UK,
2 hours ago
Almost every story today is ‘a study’ not real news. Why DM? About 70% are also adverts . Why DM?
lilrascal,
Eastern, United States,
2 hours ago
I look for people who are too smart to tan or smoke.
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