Amateur tattooing practices and beliefs among high school adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this research was to investigate the reasons, experiences, methods, and perceived health consequences of obtaining tattoos among a sample of Western Australian high school adolescents.


METHODS
Information pertaining to levels of health awareness and school social behavior were obtained. Data were gathered in two phases using a questionnaire and follow-up interviews.


RESULTS
Findings revealed that over 13% of participants had acquired tattoos and that the majority had been self-administered with crude implements. Some participants identified possible methods of removal, with a small number having attempted removal, again using crude implements.


CONCLUSIONS
Statistical analyses revealed a number of significant main effects for gender, age, and tattoo status on the dependent variables for health awareness and school social behavior.
Houghton
S J
SJ
Graduate School of Education, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Perth, Australia.
Durkin
K
K
Parry
E
E
Turbett
Y
Y
Odgers
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D017677:Age Distribution; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013653:Tattooing; D014904:Western Australia