Ladies, it’s time to ‘be breast aware’

Do you know why it is important to have a mammogram? Or what age you should start?

It is recommended women between 50 and 74 have regular mammograms every two years.

A mammogram takes just 15 minutes and is vital, given one in eight women in New South Wales will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

The Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) Bilingual Community Education (BCE) program has been working with BreastScreen NSW to boost breast screening rates for culturally and logistically diverse (CALD) women in western Sydney.

As part of Breast Cancer Awareness month, the local health district delivered a breast health and screening information program to south Asian women in Wentworthville.

Group bookings for mammograms were made and participants signed pledge cards about regular check-ups to support breast cancer awareness.

BCE program officer Anoop Johar said the information sessions were designed to specifically target CALD women.

“Many participants have low literacy in their own language so these programs are designed to have minimal reading and writing,” she said.

“We aim to promote good health and wellbeing through verbal and visual communication strategies, using educators from the same background and speaking the same language as the participants.”

Programs run in nearly 20 different languages and cover topics like women’s health, cancer screening, diabetes, mental well-being, healthy eating and physical activity as well as domestic violence and parenting.

If you are between 50 and 74 you are entitled to book a free mammogram at a BreastScreen clinic, contact BreastScreen on 13 20 50

For more information on the BCE program, contact Anoop Johar on 9840 3907 or email anoop.johar@health.nsw.gov.au