Tear up the pink ribbons…
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“…Campaign for honest information.”
This recent, unexpected advice from the British Medical Journal comes after decades of debate over screening mammograms for average risk women. In response to campaigns in which women are encouraged to get mammograms (e.g, “If you haven’t had a mammogram, you need more than your breasts examined”), women tend to overestimate the benefits of screening without having facts to make informed decisions. This makes the debate over screening as much about demanding evidence based information as it is about avoiding overdiagnosis and overtreatment.
In March, Bonnie Spanier and I weighed in on the cultural history of the pro-mammogram message in a CNN op-ed.
“Focusing on beliefs — mammograms always save lives — primes us to rely on opinions that may not be based on reliable evidence. Presenting those beliefs as facts manipulates our emotions. This persuasive strategy is prevalent in health and medical advertising, celebrity spots, and health news.”
We argued that belief in untested assumptions is far too common; instead, we need to understand the strengths, risks and limitations of any medical intervention and allow that understanding to inform our beliefs and our practices.
In addition to insights into the ongoing screening debate, this issue of the BCCQ has new book reviews and other resources, articles on cause marketing and sexual objectification in awareness campaigns, and a series of research briefs from BCC member and health researcher Jessica Werder MPH. Jess currently writes the “Recent Research” column for Capital Region Action Against Breast Cancer! (CRAAB!), a community-based non-profit created in 1997 by a diverse group of caregivers, health practitioners, educators, advocates and breast cancer survivors.
Feel free to email me at gayle.sulik@breastcancerconsortium.net to share your news, get information, or set up your own Beyond Awareness campaign. And do forward our newsletter to colleagues and friends who would be interested in our work. Thank you for reading, sharing, and helping to change the breast cancer paradigm!
Cordially,
Gayle A. Sulik, PhD (founder and executive director)
