Abstract
Purpose
To survey the prevalence of body art and incidence of medical complications among
university students comparing results in 2001 and 2006.
Methods
Students reported body piercings and tattoos and occurrence of medical complications.
Results
Prevalence of body piercing was 51% and tattooing 22%. Piercing medical complication
incidence was 19%. No tattooing medical complications occurred.
Conclusions
Body art is prevalent among undergraduate university students, with prevalence essentially
unchanged during two consecutive 5-year samples. Medical complications occur frequently
among those with piercings.
Keywords
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References
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 13, 2007
Accepted:
September 13,
2007
Received:
July 11,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Society for Adolescent Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
