title: Who gets tattoos? Demographic and behavioral correlates of ever being tattooed in a representative sample of men and women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite recent increases in the popularity of tattooing, little is known about the prevalence and characteristics of adults who have ever been tattooed. We investigated demographic and behavioral correlates of ever getting tattooed in an adult population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Computer-assisted telephone interviews were completed by a representative sample of 8656 men and women ages 16-64 years in Australia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 14.5% of respondents had ever been tattooed, and 2.4% of respondents had been tattooed in the year before the interview. Men were more likely than women to report a tattoo, but the highest rates of tattooing were found among women in their 20s (29.4%). Men and women ages 20-39 were most likely to have been tattooed, as were men with lower levels of education, tradesmen, and women with live-out partners. Tattooing was also associated with risk-taking behaviours, including smoking, greater numbers of lifetime sexual partners, cannabis use (women only) and ever having depression (men only).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tattooing has increased in popularity during the past decade. Yet tattoos still appear to be a marker for risk-taking behavior in adults.
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society (ARCSHS), La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. w.heywood@latrobe.edu.au
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Heywood
authors.forename: Kent
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Patrick
authors.forename: Anthony M A
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Judy M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Marian K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Pitts
authors.forename: Juliet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Richters
authors.forename: Julia M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Shelley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D013653:Tattooing / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*