Aviva Health Insurance Ireland Limited and Breast Cancer Ireland today launched the "Be breast aware: Have a feel day" campaign to urge young women in their 20s and 30s to be breast aware and check their breasts regularly to know what’s normal for them.
- Over a third (39%) of women aged 18-24 years have never performed a breast check1
Aviva Health Insurance Ireland Limited and Breast Cancer Ireland today launched the "Be breast aware: Have a feel day" campaign to urge young women in their 20s and 30s to be breast aware and check their breasts regularly to know what’s normal for them.
Breast cancer, which accounts for approximately one-third of all female cancers, has a somewhat younger profile than other cancer types.2 Therefore, early detection is the key to survival. Yet new research shows that younger women are the least aware of monthly breast check recommendations and what changes they should look out for, while over a third (39%) of Irish women aged 18-24 years claim they have never performed a breast check.3
The majority (85%) of women believe they should check their breasts for changes at least once a month but worryingly only one in two (47%) actually conduct a breast check every month.4 Moreover, over a third (39%) of women aged 25-34 years admitted they never perform a check or only do so once a year.5 This is a real concern given that research shows most breast cancers (81.9%) are found randomly by women themselves.6
The "Be breast aware: Have a feel day" campaign will dedicate one day, Thursday, 20 October, to remind young women to conduct a breast self-exam. To encourage "feels" on the day, Aviva’s free health and fitness app, Health Mate, will go pink and offer a handy but discreet monthly breast check reminder on their phone, so that women are encouraged to check themselves long after Breast Cancer Awareness Month is over. Health Mate is available now on iTunes or the Android Market.
Young breast cancer survivor and mother, Nicola Turley originally from Galway said: “I never expected to get breast cancer at the age of 33, just one year after giving birth to my first child. To me, breast cancer was a disease for older women, not someone like me. But after being diagnosed, I realised that every woman is at risk and needs to know what to look out for so you can spot changes and act immediately.
"Education and action are key and I would urge young women to view our breast check video, complete the simple steps and spread the word. Dedicate a day every month to check your breasts for any abnormalities starting on the 20 October and, if you notice anything different at all, visit your GP immediately – finding my lump early saved my life."
“Our research shows that the majority of women (87%)7 believe a specific ‘Day’ should be dedicated to remind them to check their breasts during Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” said Dr Naoimh Kenny, GP on Aviva’s Medical Council. “Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women8 and this campaign aims to give young women the confidence to check their breasts using our tips and clever, discreet smartphone reminders. Early detection is the key to survival and we want women to get into the habit of checking their breasts to know what’s normal for them.”
Interestingly, statistics in Europe reveal a 99% survival rate for women with breast cancer in Northern European countries like Sweden and Norway, as opposed to 75% in Ireland.9
“Studies show that young women often fail to recognise that they have a risk of breast cancer, albeit small, and should be aware of what is normal for them on examination of their own breasts,” said Professor Arnie Hill, professor and chair of Surgery at RCSI. “We want to encourage young women to be pro-active about their health on the 20th October by examining their breasts thoroughly and getting other women to do the same.”
A special "Have a feel day" Facebook page will provide a step-by-step video on how to complete a breast check and over 55,000 breast check shower cards will be made available at GP surgeries nationwide. Social media sites, mobile media and experiential activity will all be utilised to spread the word and encourage optimal participation on the day.
In support of the campaign, Dr Naoimh Kenny has outlined below tips on how to check your breasts properly and what changes young women should be looking for.
How to check your breasts properly:
- Put your left hand behind your head
- With the pads of your right fingertips make small circular movements to examine your left breast for anything unusual
- At first feel lightly, checking for anything near the surface
- Then press quite firmly, feeling for anything deeper. Continue around the breast checking all areas
- Also, examine above your breast, up to the collarbone and out to the armpit
- Gently squeeze the nipple between the thumb and forefinger to check for unusual discharge
- Then repeat these steps for the right side.
Changes to look for in your breasts:
- A lump or thickening which is different to the rest of the breast tissue
- Continuous pain in one part of the breast or armpit
- One breast becomes larger or lower
- A nipple becomes inverted or changes shape or position
- Skin changes including puckering or dimpling
- Swelling under the armpit or around the collarbone
- A rash on or around the nipple
- Discharge from one or both nipples.
For further information on the "Be breast aware: Have a feel day" campaign, visit www.avivahealth.ie or www.facebook.com/avivaireland or www.breastcancerireland.com
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For further information, please contact:
Iris Cribbin, Fleishman-Hillard
Telephone: +353 (0)1 618 8439
Mobile: +353 (0)87 414 2881
Pia Ward, Fleishman-Hillard
Telephone: +353 (0)1 618 8438
Mobile: +353 (0)87 932 7702
Notes to the editors:
About Aviva Health insurance Ireland Ltd
Aviva Health Insurance Ireland Limited is Ireland’s fastest growing private health insurer. Aviva Health Insurance Ireland Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
Aviva Health Insurance Ireland Limited in partnership with Breast Cancer Ireland is committed to the fight against breast cancer in Ireland and promoting early detection, intervention and treatment of this challenging disease.
1 Aviva Women’s Health Check Research by Red C, carried out in September 2011. RED C interviewed a random sample of 505 females aged 18+ by telephone between 5–7 September 2011.
2 Based on the annual average incidence of breast cancer diagnosed between 2007-2009, Cancer in Ireland 2011: Annual report of the National Cancer Registry, page 14.
3 Aviva Women’s Health Check Research by Red C, carried out in September 2011. RED C interviewed a random sample of 505 females aged 18+ by telephone between 5–7 September 2011.
4 Aviva Women’s Health Check Research by Red C, carried out in September 2011. RED C interviewed a random sample of 505 females aged 18+ by telephone between 5–7 September 2011.
5 Aviva Women’s Health Check Research by Red C, carried out in September 2011. RED C interviewed a random sample of 505 females aged 18+ by telephone between 5–7 September 2011.
6 Randomised Trial of Breast Self-Examination in Shanghai: Final Results, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Volume 94, Number 19, page 1452, 2 October 2002.
7 Aviva Women’s Health Check Research by Red C, carried out in September 2011. RED C interviewed a random sample of 505 females aged 18+ by telephone between 5–7 September 2011.
8 The National Cancer Registry Ireland: Incidence, Mortality, Treatment and Survival: www.ncri.ie/cancerinfo/faq.shtml
9 Cancer Research UK Breast Cancer – Survival Statistics in Europe and Worldwide: http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/breast/survival/