scholarly journals Innovative Breast Cancer Awareness and Advocacy Campaign

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omolola Salako ◽  
Alero A. Roberts ◽  
Victor I. Isibor ◽  
Oluwatimilehin Babatunde ◽  
Omolara Fatiregun ◽  
...  

Breast cancer is a major disease in Nigeria; in 2012, 27,304 new occurrences were diagnosed, and the number of mortalities was 13,960. Greater than 70% of patients present with advanced disease, which has a poor survival outcome. The mortality rates are high mainly because of a lack of awareness about breast health, screening guidelines, and treatment centers, and because of sociocultural barriers. In Nigeria, health care professionals remain the backbone for the provision of medical information to the public. This is a study of the innovative ways that breast health and cancer awareness were promoted across communities and institutions in Lagos State, Nigeria, in 2015. Several community awareness campaigns were carried out in the forms of health talks, breast cancer screenings, radio and television interviews, and campaigns on social media. Anomalies noticed during the screenings were promptly referred to appropriate hospitals for additional treatment. The campaign culminated in the #12KLLP, or 12,000 people light Lagos pink, which was a Guinness World Record attempt for the largest human awareness ribbon formed for breast cancer. There was a total reach of 28,774,812 people across platforms: 285,318 were on social media, 3,620 were in communities, 7,466,276 were on the website, 20 million were through media events, 12,000 were through publications, 7,598 were verified participants at the Guinness World Record, and approximately 1 million were through blogs. Eighty partnerships were made with various private and government institutions to facilitate different aspects of the campaign. The community members were able to learn about the need for early detection and awareness; volunteerism and corporate social responsibility were promoted among individuals and corporate institutions.

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 30s-30s ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Mansour ◽  
A. Nashwan ◽  
H. Abu Rasheed ◽  
M. Hararah ◽  
H. Nassar ◽  
...  

Background: Breast cancer is the highest incident cancer among women in the world today as well as in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Improving the public awareness is significant in decreasing the overall morbidity and mortality of breast cancer. Social media brings a new dimension to healthcare as it offers a medium to communicate to be used by the public, patients, and health professionals to communicate health-related issues with the possibility of potentially improving health outcomes. According the Arab Social Media Report 2017 , the GCC countries largely dominate the top five spots in terms of penetration rates of key social media platforms among their populations, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Social media platforms are now frequently used on a large adoption rate by the public to address health-related issues especially in GCC countries. Compared with the rest of the Arab region, the Gulf countries largely have more balanced age breakdowns of young users who are under 30 and those who are over 30 years old, indicating the maturity of usage across age groups in society. Aim: This paper aims to provide an overview of the available evidence concerning the use of social media platforms in breast cancer awareness campaigns in GCC. Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar databases for articles published between 2010 and March 2018. Several keywords have been used. Search was limited to articles in English and Arabic describing the use of social media platforms in breast cancer awareness campaigns in any of the GCC countries. Results: More than 500 studies have been identified in the initial search. Fifteen articles have been deemed eligible. The majority are discussing the importance of using media (mass and social) as the main source of breast cancer information, however, a multilevel intervention should be considered as many interventions should be used to create culturally appropriate breast cancer awareness campaigns in the GCC countries. Conclusion: Apparently, media have been used to raise breast cancer awareness to promote breast cancer screening programs including self-exam and mammogram, benefits of early detection, and modifiable risk factors. However, social media should not be viewed as a solution to the complexities of behavior change and improved health outcomes; instead, use of social media in health promotion should be valued for its potential to engage with audiences for enhanced communication and improved capacity to promote programs, products, and services. The use of various social media platforms is variable across age, educational, and socioeconomic groups; therefore, breast cancer awareness campaigns utilizing social media should be tailored according to the target group, however public communication in the GCC still considered as a significant challenge due to the cultural diversity and language barriers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 36s-36s
Author(s):  
T. Islam ◽  
T.T. Su ◽  
S. Musthaffa ◽  
N. Abdullah Din ◽  
Z. Rahman ◽  
...  

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in Malaysia but has the worst survival in the Asia Pacific region. Main drivers identified in previous research include late-stage disease at presentation, poor adherence to treatment and sociocultural barriers. Factors affecting late presentations include lack of awareness on basic symptoms of BC and poor access to early detection. Although BC awareness campaigns have been done, Hadi et al., showed low BC awareness among university students in Malaysia. This is an evaluation of the “Show You Care, Be Aware” campaign that was done in University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur in October 2017. The campaign was carried out using KYL materials through use of posters, awareness booths and public forums. The materials contain information on the normal breast, 12 symptoms of BC, information on breast self examination (BSE), screening and diagnostic (detection) pathways in Malay and English language. Aim: To evaluate the campaign effect on breast health literacy. Methods: A quasi-experimental research was conducted. The KYL materials were forward and backward translated by 2 native bilingual individuals. The context and content of the translation was ensured to be accurate and fitted into the KYL design. A total of 679 participants participated in the study. A self-designed questionnaire was used to assess effectiveness of the materials. Educational intervention sessions were provided in the form of KYL materials (leaflets, posters and banners) displayed in awareness booths in the campus. Discussion on leaflets and questions and answers, and practical demonstrations of BSE dummy were done. The questionnaire was administered through face to face interview. The data were analyzed via SPSS 20; descriptive and Wilcoxon matched paired signed rank test was performed. Results: 72% (n=492) of our participants were Malay, 19% (n=119) Chinese and 10% (n=68) Indians and others. Majority of our participants were female (94.2%), age 30 or below (61%), single (62.9%), had college or university education (85.7%). Most of our participants, 96.2% stated that the language used in the KYL materials were clear and understandable; 95.3% thought materials were attractive and 89.2% found them acceptable in Malaysian culture. 52.7% preferred Malay materials, 40.4% English and 6.5% in both Malay and English. The materials improved perceived knowledge on the process of detecting BC (96.5%). 92.8% agreed or strongly agreed that they felt more confident in recognizing the symptoms of BC themselves. There was an increase in self reported knowledge of BC; mean scores before and after exposure to KYL materials were 2.83 versus 4.30 respectively ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: Health education using KYL materials promoted breast cancer awareness, confidence in detecting symptoms and knowing processes of diagnosis among urban and educated Malaysians. Future research in lower educated and rural communities in Malaysia is warranted.


2020 ◽  
Vol V (II) ◽  
pp. 130-137
Author(s):  
Arsha Saleem Meer ◽  
Rao Shahid Mahmood Khan ◽  
Malik Adnan Adnan

The core objective of the study was to find out the knowledge, attitude and practices of women in the general population and also to investigate the significant role of media awareness campaigns in each aspect of KAP among women. A total number of n=375 women of three renowned universities of southern Punjab were selected through simple random sampling technique. Data was collected through a self-constructed questionnaire comprised of socio-economic status and knowledge, attitude and practices section in their respective educational institutes. Findings indicated that media campaigns had established good knowledge and satisfactory attitude towards breast cancer, but these campaigns are proved less significant in convincing people for screening their breast without any prominent symptoms. This study concluded that media awareness campaigns are significant in providing knowledge and establishing good attitude but less effective in providing knowledge about the importance of screening practices among women of the general population.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 1219-1231
Author(s):  
Mike Donald Tapi Nzali ◽  
Jérôme Aze ◽  
Sandra Bringay ◽  
Christian Lavergne ◽  
Caroline Mollevi ◽  
...  

Today, social media is increasingly used by patients to openly discuss their health. Mining automatically such data is a challenging task because of the non-structured nature of the text and the use of many abbreviations and the slang terms. Our goal is to use Patient Authored Text to build a French Consumer Health Vocabulary on breast cancer field, by collecting various kinds of non-experts’ expressions that are related to their diseases and then compare them to biomedical terms used by health care professionals. We combine several methods of the literature based on linguistic and statistical approaches to extract candidate terms used by non-experts and to link them to expert terms. We use messages extracted from the forum on ‘ cancerdusein.org ’ and a vocabulary dedicated to breast cancer elaborated by the Institut National Du Cancer. We have built an efficient vocabulary composed of 192 validated relationships and formalized in Simple Knowledge Organization System ontology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 107327481984144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinhai Huo ◽  
Raj Desai ◽  
Young-Rock Hong ◽  
Kea Turner ◽  
Arch G. Mainous ◽  
...  

The number of social media users has increased substantially in the past decade, creating an opportunity for health-care professionals and patients to leverage social media for health communication. This study examines the recent use and predictors of social media for health communication in a nationally representative sample of US adults over time. We used 2013, 2014, and 2017 National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey to identify respondents’ use of social media for sharing health information or exchanging medical information with a health-care professional. We conducted bivariate analysis using the Pearson χ2 test to assess the association of respondents’ basic demographic characteristics as well as health status and the use of social media for health communication. We performed multivariable logistic regression models to examine factors associated with the use of social media for health communication. We identified 4242 respondents (weighted sample size: 343 465 241 [2-year pooled sample]) who used social media for sharing health information and 4834 respondents (weighted sample size: 354 419 489 [2-year pooled sample]) who used social media for exchanging medical information. Multivariable analyses indicated the proportion of respondents who used social media for sharing health information has decreased (odds ratio [OR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49-0.85, P = .002), while the use of social media for exchanging medical information with a health-care professional has increased (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.09-3.26, P = .025). The younger population had significantly higher odds of using social media for health communication. The study found no racial/ethnic disparities in the use of social media for health communication. Use of social media for sharing health information has declined, while exchanging medical information with health-care professionals has increased. Future research is needed to determine how to engage the population in social media–based health interventions, particularly for older adults.


10.2196/19668 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. e19668
Author(s):  
Peng Pan ◽  
Changhua Yu ◽  
Tao Li ◽  
Xilei Zhou ◽  
Tingting Dai ◽  
...  

Background Seeking health information on the internet is a popular trend. Xigua Video, a short video platform in China, ranks among the most accessed websites in the country and hosts an increasing number of videos with medical information. However, the nature of these videos is frequently unscientific, misleading, or even harmful. Objective Little is known about Xigua Video as a source of information on breast cancer. Thus, the study aimed to investigate the contents, quality, and reliability of breast cancer–related content on Xigua Video. Methods On February 4, 2020, a Xigua Video search was performed using the keyword “breast cancer.” Videos were categorized by 2 doctors based on whether the video content provided useful or misleading information. Furthermore, the reliability and quality of the videos were assessed using the 5-point DISCERN tool and 5-point global quality score criteria. Results Out of the 170 videos selected for the study, 64 (37.6%) were classified as useful, whereas 106 (62.4%) provided misleading information. A total of 41.8% videos (71/170) were generated by individuals compared to 19.4% videos (33/170) contributed by health care professionals. The topics mainly covered etiology, anatomy, symptoms, preventions, treatments, and prognosis. The top topic was “treatments” (119/170, 70%). The reliability scores and global quality scores of the videos in the useful information group were high (P<.001). No differences were observed between the 2 groups in terms of video length, duration in months, and comments. The number of total views was higher for the misleading information group (819,478.5 vs 647,940) but did not reach a level of statistical significance (P=.112). The uploading sources of the videos were mainly health care professionals, health information websites, medical advertisements, and individuals. Statistical differences were found between the uploading source groups in terms of reliability scores and global quality scores (P<.001). In terms of total views, video length, duration, and comments, no statistical differences were indicated among the said groups. However, a statistical difference was noted between the useful and misleading information video groups with respect to the uploading sources (P<.001). Conclusions A large number of Xigua videos pertaining to breast cancer contain misleading information. There is a need for accurate health information to be provided on Xigua Video and other social media; health care professionals should address this challenge.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josette Jones ◽  
Meeta Pradhan ◽  
Masoud Hosseini ◽  
Anand Kulanthaivel ◽  
Mahmood Hosseini

BACKGROUND The increasing use of social media and mHealth apps has generated new opportunities for health care consumers to share information about their health and well-being. Information shared through social media contains not only medical information but also valuable information about how the survivors manage disease and recovery in the context of daily life. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of acquiring and modeling the topics of a major online breast cancer support forum. Breast cancer patient support forums were selected to discover the hidden, less obvious aspects of disease management and recovery. METHODS First, manual topic categorization was performed using qualitative content analysis (QCA) of each individual forum board. Second, we requested permission from the Breastcancer.org Community for a more in-depth analysis of the postings. Topic modeling was then performed using open source software Machine Learning Language Toolkit, followed by multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis to detect highly correlated topics among the different website forums. RESULTS QCA of the forums resulted in 20 categories of user discussion. The final topic model organized >4 million postings into 30 manageable topics. Using qualitative analysis of the topic models and statistical analysis, we grouped these 30 topics into 4 distinct clusters with similarity scores of ≥0.80; these clusters were labeled Symptoms & Diagnosis, Treatment, Financial, and Family & Friends. A clinician review confirmed the clinical significance of the topic clusters, allowing for future detection of actionable items within social media postings. To identify the most significant topics across individual forums, MLR demonstrated that 6 topics—based on the Akaike information criterion values ranging from −642.75 to −412.32—were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS The developed method provides an insight into the areas of interest and concern, including those not ascertainable in the clinic. Such topics included support from lay and professional caregivers and late side effects of therapy that consumers discuss in social media and may be of interest to clinicians. The developed methods and results indicate the potential of social media to inform the clinical workflow with regards to the impact of recovery on daily life.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy Ure ◽  
Anna Mary Cooper-Ryan ◽  
Jenna Condie ◽  
Adam Galpin

BACKGROUND As breast cancer survival rates improve and structural health resources are increasingly being stretched, health providers require people living with and beyond breast cancer (LwBBC) to self-manage aspects of their care. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore how women use and experience social media to self-manage their psychosocial needs and support self-management across the breast cancer continuum. METHODS The experiences of 21 women (age range 27-64 years) were explored using an in-depth qualitative approach. The women varied in the duration of their experiences of LwBBC, which facilitated insights into how they evolve and change their self-management strategies over time. Semistructured interviews were analyzed inductively using a thematic analysis, a polytextual analysis, and voice-centered relational methods. RESULTS The use of multiple social media platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter, enabled women to self-manage aspects of their care by satisfying needs for timely, relevant, and appropriate support, by navigating identities disrupted by diagnosis and treatment and by allowing them to (re)gain a sense of control. Women described extending their everyday use of multiple platforms to self-manage their care. However, women experienced social media as both empowering and dislocating, as their engagement was impacted by their everyday experiences of LwBBC. CONCLUSIONS Health care professionals (HCPs) need to be more aware, and open to the possibilities, of women using multiple social media resources as self-management tools. It is important for HCPs to initiate value-free discussions and create the space necessary for women to share how social media resources support a tailored and timely self-managed approach to their unique psychosocial needs.


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