For US women, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death. Last year in Florida, nearly 12,000 women were diagnosed and almost 3,000 died from breast cancer. Prominent organizations recommend women aged 40 and older receive a mammogram every 1 or (1-2) years. Increased and regular use of early detection measures along with enhanced treatment options have been attributed to improved breast cancer survival rates. Still, many women living with physical disabilities are significantly less likely to have been screened with the recommended guidelines, than women without disabilities. This puts these women at risk for late-stage diagnosis and poor health outcomes. For Florida, this presents a significant public health concern as nearly 1 in 5 women in our state are living with at least one disability.
To address this issue the CDC created the Right to Know campaign, which consists of health promotion materials in both English and Spanish that include: posters, flyers, print ads, tip sheets and MP3 audio files. These materials feature four breast cancer survivors living with physical disabilities who share their personal and heartfelt messages about breast cancer screening.
This new campaign is being implemented in four US states, including Florida. Our goal in Florida is to use these materials to help raise awareness about the importance of breast cancer screening, and encourage recommended screening among women who are forty years and older, and living with a physical disability.
We welcome your help with this dissemination effort. If you are interested in receiving these free health promotion materials or would like to learn more about this campaign please use the following contact information.
For more information on the Florida Right To Know campaign and for Florida specific resources on breast health screening, please visit:
http://rtk.phhp.ufl.edu/
For more information on our related study on breast health and women living with physical disabilities, please visit: http://withuss.phhp.ufl.edu