News coverage of singer Kylie Minogue’s breast cancer diagnosis caused an unprecedented increase in bookings for mammography, according to research to be released in an electronic version of the Medical Journal of Australia this Sunday 7 August 2005.
The author, Simon Chapman, Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney, says news stories about health and medicine can precipitate dramatic changes in consumer behaviour, and that capitalising on the interest generated by celebrity illnesses can increase news coverage of health topics to levels that would ordinarily require huge campaign budgets.
“Health advocates should develop anticipatory strategies for responding to news coverage of celebrity illness,” Professor Chapman said.
The MJA study involves women aged forty years and over who booked mammograms in government-sponsored BreastScreen programs in the 19 weeks before, the 2 weeks during, and the 6 weeks after the publicity surrounding Kylie Minogue’s illness.
In the seven days following the announcement, there was a 20-fold increase in news coverage of breast cancer on national and state TV programs, which emphasised that young women do get breast cancer and that early detection was critical.
Overall, screening bookings rose 40 per cent in the 2 weeks of the publicity, with a 101 per cent increase in bookings of women in the eligible age-group (40-69 years) who had not previously been screened.
Six weeks after the publicity, bookings remained more than a third higher in previously unscreened women.
“The significant ‘Kylie effect’ on screening may further reduce breast cancer deaths,” Professor Chapman said.
Impact of news of celebrity illness on breast cancer screening: Kylie Minogue’s breast cancer diagnosis
Chapman S,
[URL] http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/183_05_050905/cha10589_fm.html
A copy of the article will be available from midday Sunday 7 August 2005 on the MJA website (www.mja.com.au).
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The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
CONTACT Professor Simon Chapman 0438 340 304
Gillian Batt – contact Sally Moore 0413 886 578
Judith TOKLEY, AMA Public Affairs, 0408 824 306 / 02 6270 5471