Related risk of tattooing and body piercing: prevalence study in a convenience sample

Introduction. Body art (tattoos, piercing, etc.) represents an important socio-cultural phenomenon that is widely expanding throughout the population. These practices are not risk-free; the transmission of infectious diseases (HBV, HCV, etc.) as well as allergies and chronic reactions are extremely widespread. Materials and Methods. We analysed this phenomenon among high school students in Grosseto and Scansano (Tuscany) by distributing a questionnaire to a sample group of 577 students. Results. The participation rate in this study was 86.0% (496 questionnaires were completed); 4.8% of the students (3.0% males and 6.0% females) had a tattoo, while 35.1% (12.6% males and 50.5% females) had at least one piercing. Discussion. The prevalence of tattoos and body piercing seems to vary between the two sexes and among the type of schools attended, revealing some of the primary motivations for these techniques, i.e. decoration (especially females) as well as identification (technical school students). This phenomenon warrants the utmost attention by the Department of Prevention in order to guarantee adequate training of those working in this sector as well as freely available information ensuring the correct understanding and assessment of related risks.