General Article New study reveals extent of Jade Goody effect on cervical screening

Topic Selected: Sexual Health
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Three years ago, Jade Goody died of cervical cancer. A new study, published today in the Journal of Medical Screening, discusses the effect of her death on cervical screening attendance. It showed that more than 400,000 extra women were screened in England between mid-2008 and mid-2009 – the period during which Jade Goody was diagnosed and died of cervical cancer.

More women of all ages were screened, though the increase was greater for women aged under 50. In the 25-29 age group, an estimated 31,000 extra women were screened in the five months between autumn 2008 and spring 2009. It seems that the women who were closest to Jade Goody in age or circumstances, that is young women with young families, were those most affected by her experience.

Although there was concern that the increase in attendance might have been from the ‘worried well’ coming back for an early repeat screen, the research found that the opposite was true. A higher proportion was from women who were late for the...

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