Young women urged to perform breast checks

New research shows over a third of women aged between 18 and 24 have never performed a breast check.

Aviva Health Insurance and Breast Cancer Ireland have launched a new campaign to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Week.

The ‘Be Breast Aware: Have a Feel Day’ campaign will dedicate one day, Thursday, October 20, to remind young women to conduct a breast self-exam.

The campaign urges young women in their 20s and 30s to check their breasts regularly to know what’s normal for them.

The research also found that even though the majority of women believe they should check their breasts for changes at least once a month - only one in two actually do so.

“Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women and this campaign aims to give young women the confidence to check their breasts," said Dr. Naoimh Kenny, GP on Aviva’s Medical Council.

“Studies show that young women often fail to recognise that they have a risk of breast cancer, albeit small, and should be aware of what is normal for them on examination of their own breasts,” said Professor Arnie Hill, Professor and Chair of Surgery at RCSI.

“We want to encourage young women to be pro-active about their health on the 20th October by examining their breasts thoroughly and getting other women to do the same.”