Eid Mahmoud, Nahon-Serfaty Isaac
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Int J Civ Engagem Soc Change. 2015 Jan 1;2(1):43-64. doi: 10.4018/IJCESC.2015010104.
The prevalence of breast cancer in Venezuela is particularly alarming, which is attributed to healthcare inequalities, low health literacy, and lagging compliance with prevention methods (i.e., screening and mammography). While the right to health is acknowledged by the Venezuelan constitution, activism beyond governmental confines is required to increase women's breast cancer awareness and decrease mortality rates. Through the development of social support and strategic communicative methods enacted by healthcare providers, it may be possible to empower women with the tools necessary for breast cancer prevention. This paper discusses issues surrounding women's breast cancer, such as awareness of the disease and its risks, self-advocacy, and the roles of activists, healthcare providers, and society. Specifically, it describes a four-year action-oriented research project developed in Venezuela, which was a collaborative work among researchers, practitioners, NGOs, patients, journalists, and policymakers. The outcomes include higher levels of awareness and interest among community members and organizations to learn and seek more information about women's breast cancer, better understandings of the communicated messages, more media coverage and medical consultations, increasing positive patient treatments, expansion of networking of NGOs, as well as a widely supported declaration for a national response against breast cancer in Venezuela.
委内瑞拉乳腺癌的患病率尤其令人担忧，这归因于医疗保健不平等、健康素养低下以及对预防方法（即筛查和乳房X光检查）的依从性滞后。虽然委内瑞拉宪法承认健康权，但需要超越政府范围的行动主义来提高女性对乳腺癌的认识并降低死亡率。通过医疗保健提供者制定社会支持和战略沟通方法，有可能使女性掌握预防乳腺癌所需的工具。本文讨论了围绕女性乳腺癌的问题，如对该疾病及其风险的认识、自我倡导以及活动家、医疗保健提供者和社会的作用。具体而言，它描述了在委内瑞拉开展的一个为期四年的以行动为导向的研究项目，该项目是研究人员、从业者、非政府组织、患者、记者和政策制定者之间的合作成果。成果包括社区成员和组织对了解和寻求更多关于女性乳腺癌信息的更高认识和兴趣、对所传达信息的更好理解、更多的媒体报道和医疗咨询、增加积极的患者治疗、扩大非政府组织的网络，以及一份得到广泛支持的关于委内瑞拉全国应对乳腺癌的宣言。
