On 25th August 2015 @Uberfacts posted this statement on Twitter and were met with a fierce backlash of people accusing them of spreading harmful lies, but this fact is actually true.
Self-examination is an outdated mode of checking oneself, for example it advises you to check once a month just before your period – but what if you have been through the menopause and no longer have periods?
What if you’re a man?
One of the most common questions I’m asked by members of the general public when I’m running promotion events is “How do I check my breasts? I don’t know what to do and I don’t know what I’m looking for.”
We now promote a technique called “breast awareness”.
We intend to run a project to educate on Breast Awareness.
The first part of our project aims to run large-scale community events aimed at promoting breast awareness to the people of Hull at easily accessible locations such as St Stephens and the North Point Shopping Centre. I want to make this subject easy to talk about and employ tools such as the brand new giant Inflatable Breast – which looks like a flesh coloured igloo from the outside, but which people can walk into, look around and learn about breast awareness and common breast symptoms in a light-hearted, non-offensive and non-threatening way. The nature of the tool also means it’s something that sticks in people’s minds well.
In the UK every year, 55000 women and 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer, it can happen to anyone at any time and it can be cured if it is caught early.
Breast awareness is therefore an incredibly important subject. The second part on this project focusses on breast screening and ensuring that our service is equally accessible to all women living in our region regardless of their background, socio-economic status, mental-health status or level of education.
I asked nurses, support workers and carers working with vulnerable populations what types of resources would benefit the people they work with.
The answers were: Videos showing the exact places, staff and machines used for breast.
Booklets in multiple languages showing the procedures. Guides to screening with clear pictures and simple sentences.
We will also, crucially, be able to provide a structured breast awareness approach – with training and materials to take home – for women who might otherwise struggle to understand what they need to do and why.All of this information will also be applicable and available across the board to anybody wanting to learn more about screening or awareness.
Carly Medlock Health Promotion Officer Humberside Breast Screening Service Inflatable Breast available from www.iborgans.com 01722 333 587