Associations Between Tattooing and Health Status: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study of Adults in Utah, 2020-2022 - Rachel D. McCarty, Britton Trabert, Morgan M. Millar, David Kriebel, Laurie Grieshober, Mollie E. Barnard, Lindsay J. Collin, Jeffrey A. Gilreath, Paul J. Shami, Jennifer A. Doherty, 2026

Data from about 27,000 respondents in the 2020–2022 Utah Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys were analyzed using multivariable Poisson regression to estimate prevalence ratios. Tattooing was linked to self-reported poor versus excellent overall health, especially among women (PR=3.08; 95% CI, 2.26–4.21). Tattooing also correlated with obesity (women PR=1.40; 95% CI, 1.22–1.61; men PR=1.21; 95% CI, 1.04–1.40) and chronic pain (women PR=1.59; 95% CI, 1.43–1.77; men PR=1.55; 95% CI, 1.37–1.76). Tattooed individuals had higher prevalence of diagnosed depressive disorder (women PR=1.64; 95% CI, 1.53–1.75; men PR=1.55; 95% CI, 1.39–1.73) and greater likelihood of having ≥6 teeth removed versus none removed (women PR=2.18; 95% CI, 1.61–2.96; men PR=2.88; 95% CI, 2.10–3.95). Public health partnerships with tattoo studios and conventions were suggested to deliver nutrition, exercise, dental care, mental health resources, and health screening information.

Read at Sage Journals