Brandyn Churchill, assistant professor of resource economics at UMass Amherst, recently published a paper in the Journal of Health Economics in which he and his coauthors studied how consumers and firms respond to public policies intended to prevent risky health behaviors.

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They found that state policies prohibiting adolescents from using indoor tanning beds significantly reduced tanning-related information-seeking behavior and indoor tanning bed use.  They also found sizable reductions in tanning salon sales, especially for establishments located near middle and high schools, resulting in fewer tanning salon openings and more tanning salon closures. 

Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2023.102738