Mexico Sports Pink in October to Support Breast Cancer Awareness

Today’s post comes to us from Eric Gaxiola of our GLOBALHealthPR partner in Mexico, PR Partners.

Throughout the month of October, countries around the world joined together to raise awareness about the importance of routine screening and early diagnosis for breast cancer.

In Mexico, the PR Partners team led an awareness campaign called “Pink Victory” that successfully reached a sizeable percentage of the population.  The campaign was spurred by a joint effort between Pfizer, the Mexican Soccer Federation and Voit. The campaign consisted of all Mexican Soccer League games playing with a pink soccer ball. Additionally, in some cities, there were information booths and the opportunity to perform mammograms outside the stadium.

Since 1980, the mortality rate due to breast cancer has been on the rise in Mexico, surpassing that of cervical cancer deaths. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women from 30 to 54 years old, and the leading cause of cancer deaths in women in general.¹

Rapid urbanization combined with changes in reproductive behavior and life styles² have resulted in the tendency for women to postpone the onset of motherhood, lower birth rates and decreased willingness to breastfeed. These tendencies, along with sedentary lifestyles, obesity, and poor nutrition, increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

Reducing risk factors and promoting early detection play an important role in controlling the disease and decreasing breast cancer’s mortality rate. There are three habits that could really make a huge difference:  self-examination, clinical examination and mammography.

Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, principal investigator at Mayo Clinic, recommends that women whose relatives were diagnosed with breast cancer have annual mammograms 10 years before the age that their relative was diagnosed. For instance, if the mother was diagnosed at 48 years old, the daughter should start at 38. She recommends that all women, even those without a family history of breast cancer, schedule their first mammogram by the time they turn forty.

The primary aim of our campaign is to educate women on the importance of these practices so that they become a habit in every Mexican woman’s life. The fight against breast cancer must be a permanent one, and must involve the cooperation of authorities, NGO’s, the medical community and media. PR Partners is proud to play a part in this collaboration.

References:

1. Dr. Gabriela Torres, Dr. Angelica Angeles, Dr. Eduardo Lazcano, Editorial. Breast cancer prevention culture population and professionalization of its detection and control. Public Health of Mexico Vol 53, no. 5, September-October 2011
2.  Julio Frenk, Editorial. Awareness, early detection and fighting prejudice. Key in the fight against breast cancer. Public Health of Mexico Vol 51, Supplement 2, 2009.