Jane’s work continues to save lives

Wednesday, 14 October 2009 14:13

Just over 12 months since her passing, even Jane McGrath would’ve been left speechless by the results of recent research conducted by Newspoll and funded by GlaxoSmithKline for the McGrath Foundation.

Results showed that almost all (97 percent) Australian women surveyed had heard of Jane McGrath. Whilst a staggering statistic in itself, perhaps the most important finding was that two in three (64 percent) women have taken direct action as a result of the media attention surrounding Jane’s experience with breast cancer and the work of the McGrath Foundation.

One in four started conducting regular self-breast examinations; almost two in ten asked their doctor to conduct a breast examination; and one in ten has become involved in breast cancer education and awareness campaigns.

However, while the survey revealed that eight in ten women consider themselves to be breast aware, it also showed that there is still a significant gap between awareness and action. Only one in three women reported performing a self-breast examination every month and despite nine in ten women previously having had a dental check up and eight in ten previously having had a Pap smear, one in three (32 percent) had never had a breast examination conducted by their doctor.

We know if Jane were here she would be saying that we still have a lot of work to do ensure that all women, regardless of their age, are proactive about their breast health. As we say here at the Foundation ‘if you grow them, know them’ and we hope, through Jane’s legacy, that we can continue to empower all Australian women to be breast aware.