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Global celebrities' effect on health awareness among Jordanians: A study using the case of Angelina Jolie
Author(s) -
AlHussaini Maysa,
Ammar Khawlah,
Kasasbeh Nour,
Sultan Hala,
AlOmari Amal
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of genetic counseling
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1573-3599
pISSN - 1059-7700
DOI - 10.1002/jgc4.1154
Subject(s) - medicine , genetic testing , family medicine , breast cancer , population , openness to experience , prophylactic surgery , genetic counseling , public health , mastectomy , cross sectional study , gynecology , cancer , cancer genetics , demography , nursing , environmental health , pathology , psychology , genetics , social psychology , sociology , biology
Celebrities' health decisions have long been associated with heightened awareness and health trend changes. This is the first study conducted in an Arab population investigating the impact of international celebrity news on local communities using the case of Angelia Jolie's (AJ) prophylactic mastectomy and oophorectomy surgeries. The objective was to measure the effect of publicized medical information on cancer genetic testing knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). This is a cross‐sectional study using a semi‐structured, self‐administered questionnaire for clinic visitors at the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC). We had predominantly female ( n = 262, 66.3%) and healthy participants ( n = 248, 66.5%). Approximately 80.7% ( n = 330) recognized AJ, the actress, and of these, 71% ( n = 232) were aware of her recent diagnosis and prophylactic surgeries. Males reported a higher knowledge score ( p < .001). However, females had more initiative to seek information (18.3% vs. 10.1%; p = .04). People aware of Angelina's prophylactic procedures were inclined to seek information regarding cancer genetics (20.8% vs. 9.6% p = .003). Breast and ovarian cancer patients were more likely than other cancer patients to encourage family members to undergo prophylactic surgery in case of BRCA1/2 mutations (39.2% vs. 17.1% p = .03). Ninety‐three percent of the sample lacked knowledge regarding the availability of cancer genetic testing in Jordan. Results highlight a clear effect of celebrity medical news on our population, as well as openness to consider genetic testing as an early detection tool for women with a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer. Generalization of these results to the population of Jordan requires further studies.