ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR of the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) Marva Lee, has attributed an increase in the number of women demanding cervical cancer screenings to the impact of recent television campaign. The campaign stressed the importance of women getting regular check ups for cancer.
"Comparing April to June 2001 to the same period this year, we have seen a 32 per cent increase in cervical cancer screenings, which we feel is due to the television ads which were eye-catching, especially with the use of the slogan 'when did you last do it?'," Ms. Lee said.
PAP SMEAR
The advertisements were sponsored by United General In-surance Company (UGI) and broadcast between April and May 2002. They were part of a $1 million media campaign which incorporated the use of five Jamaican women, to encourage others to take cervical cancer seriously, and to do regular pap smear examinations.
Included in the advertisements were: Miss Jamaica 2001 Regina Beavers, former radio talk show host Hazel Monteith, UGI general manager Andrea Gordon-Martin, Papine market vendor Hermine Boswell and dancehall queen Carlene Smith.
Other aspects of the campaign were the printing and distribution of brochures and flyers on the disease as well as the placing of posters on the sides of buses with the heath message.
Approximately 2,682 women were screened between April and June 2002 at JCS clinics.
According to a special JCS report on the first quarter of the cervical cancer awareness programme, a comparative analysis of the age group of women utilizing services during February to March 2002 and April to May 2002 indicates an increase in all the age groups with the most significant change among women between twenty to twenty-nine years.
The report also highlighted a 62 per cent overall change during the two month period among all age groups.
The advertisements were well-received, with a number of persons calling the Cancer Society to say they thought they were good. Lee said she was especially happy that the younger generation between 20-29 years registered the highest number of cervical screenings.
"If we can get women to come in for screenings from an early age and maintain that level of health care for the rest of their life instead of being just a "one-off" thing" then we at the Cancer Society would have achieved a whole lot" she added.
The age group 20 to 29 years showed a 103 per cent increase jumping from 171 persons screened between February and March 2002, to 347 persons between April and May 2002.
Women in the age bracket 30-39 years followed in second place with an increase of 62 percent, while 58 percent increase was observed in the more mature age group of 50-59 years according to the report.
The screenings also showed a low level of invasive cancer found among the patients.
"The period April-May had 65 women with abnormal pap smears and three with invasive cancer," Ms. Lee said.
Stressing the importance of early detection and treatment of the disease, Lee said "abnormal pap smears do not mean cancer, and in fact are treated by a very simple procedure. The important point to remember is that early detection and treatment will prevent the abnormal area from degenerating into cancer.
Persons who have been diagnosed with cervical cancer must have their follow-up appointments and conform to the treatment plan recommended by their doctors."
UGI's public relations manager Gail Sommerville said that her company is pleased with the results of the campaign, and that plans are in the works to return the advertisements to television.
FAIRLY STABLE
Figures from the Jamaica Cancer Registry indicate that the disease's rate has remained fairly stable even though the incidence rate is high.
"The age-specific rate for cervical cancer in Jamaica between 1993-1997 is 25.2 per cent per 100.000 women and given that cervical cancer can be prevented through a simple, inexpensive programme of regular Pap smear screening and appropriate treatment for abnormal results, what we would like to see is a significant reduction in the number of women who get cervical cancer" Lee said.
Risk factors for the disease are :
- Early age of first intercourse
- Early age of first pregnancy
- Multiple partners
- Partner with multiple partners
- Infection with the Human
- Papilloma Virus (HPV)
- Women who smoke
