Public health advocacy in action: the case of unproven breast cancer screening in Australia

Rebecca Johnson; Emma Croager; Caitlin Kameron; Iain Pratt; Thomas Vreugdenburg; Terry Slevin

doi:10.1071/phrp2641648

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Public health advocacy in action: the case of unproven breast cancer screening in Australia

Rebecca Johnson ^A , Emma Croager ^B ^C , Caitlin Kameron ^B ^* , Iain Pratt ^B ^C , Thomas Vreugdenburg ^D and Terry Slevin ^B ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Telethon Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre, Perth, Western Australia

^B Cancer Council Western Australia, Perth

^C WA Cancer Prevention Research Unit, Curtin University, Perth, Australia

^D School of Population Health, University of Adelaide, South Australia

^* Correspondence to: ckameron@cancerwa.asn.au

Public Health Research and Practice 26, e2641648 https://doi.org/10.17061/phrp2641648

Published: 30 September 2016

2016 © Johnson et al. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence, which allows others to redistribute, adapt and share this work non-commercially provided they attribute the work and any adapted version of it is distributed under the same Creative Commons licence terms.

Abstract

In recent years, nonmammographic breast imaging devices, such as thermography, electrical impedance scanning and elastography, have been promoted directly to consumers, which has captured the attention of governments, researchers and health organisations. These devices are not supported by evidence and risk undermining existing mammographic breast cancer screening services.

During a 5-year period, Cancer Council Western Australia (CCWA) used strategic research combined with legal, policy and media advocacy to contest claims that these devices were proven alternatives to mammography for breast cancer screening. The campaign was successful because it had input from people with public health, academic, clinical and legal backgrounds, and took advantage of existing legal and regulatory avenues.

CCWA’s experience provides a useful advocacy model for public health practitioners who are concerned about unsafe consumer products, unproven medical devices, and misleading health information and advertising.