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The Angelina effect revisited: Exploring a media‐related impact on public awareness
Author(s) -
Lebo Patricia Beatrice,
Quehenberger Franz,
Kamolz LarsPeter,
Lumenta David Benjamin
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/cncr.29461
Subject(s) - medicine , mastectomy , breast cancer , prospective cohort study , family medicine , population , cohort , breast reconstruction , cohort study , demography , gynecology , cancer , surgery , environmental health , sociology
BACKGROUND In 2013, Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy and publication of her personal treatment choice for BRCA1 positivity generated considerable media attention. To the authors’ knowledge, the current study is the first prospective survey conducted among the general public to measure a quantifiable media‐related effect on public awareness. METHODS The authors analyzed the changes in the general public's awareness of reconstructive options in breast cancer among 2 female population‐matched cohorts aged 18 to 65 years (1000 participants in each cohort) before (March 2013; poll 1) and after (June 2013; poll 2) the announcement of Ms. Jolie's mastectomy in May 2013. RESULTS There was an observed increase in public awareness: significantly more women from poll 2 were aware of reconstructive breast surgery being possible after breast cancer‐related mastectomy, notably with regard to autologous tissue and single‐stage reconstructions. Approximately 20% of the women in poll 2 (205 women) indicated that media coverage regarding Ms. Jolie affected their interest in breast cancer. A question that was exclusive to poll 2 revealed a preference for autologous (66.2%) versus implant‐based (8.2%) reconstructions, with the remainder indicating no preference (25.6%). None of the stratification variables were found to be associated with the above findings. CONCLUSIONS To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first prospective study to demonstrate a statistically significant impact of a celebrity announcement on public awareness regarding breast cancer treatment. The results underscore the importance of a media‐related impact for professionals in the health care sector, which can serve as a tipping point for raising awareness and improving knowledge concerning a specific disease among the general public. Cancer 2015;121:3959–3964. © 2015 American Cancer Society .