Health News
To raise awareness about cervical cancer and ways to avoid getting it, the Cervical Cancer-Free Kentucky Initiative has created a Facebook application that "incorporates pictures of users' Facebook pals into an educational video on cervical cancer," reports Darla Carter of The Courier-Journal.
- Eastern Kentucky Native Wants To Alert Appalachian Women About Their High Rate Of Cervical Cancer And How To Prevent It
University of Kentucky physician and Pike County native Baretta Casey, right, has spent most of her career providing health care and education throughout the state, with a focus on Appalachian Kentucky. The health disparities between Eastern...
- Boys Should Get Hpv Vaccine To Keep From Spreading Virus
A federal committee has recommended that boys receive the human papilloma virus vaccine, already recommended for girls, to fight the sexually transmitted virus that is known to cause cervical cancer. The vaccine could also protect boys against genital...
- Parents, Children Should Discuss Hpv Vaccine, Study Indicates
A study at Ohio State University found that college-aged women who have talked to their mothers about the human papillomavirus are more likely to get the vaccine that prevents it, Brandy Reeves, right, a certified sexuality educator and health education...
- Funding Available To Help Communities Fight Cervical Cancer
For the second year, agencies, coalitions and community groups are invited to apply for funding to improve cervical cancer screening rates and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations in their areas. Cervical Cancer-Free Kentucky, housed in the University...
- Kentucky One Of Six States To Join Cervical Cancer-free America
Kentucky is one of six states that has joined the Cervical Cancer-Free America initiative, led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The announcement was made today as the country observes National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. As part...
Health News
Facebook app personalizes message to women about getting cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccine
To raise awareness about cervical cancer and ways to avoid getting it, the Cervical Cancer-Free Kentucky Initiative has created a Facebook application that "incorporates pictures of users' Facebook pals into an educational video on cervical cancer," reports Darla Carter of The Courier-Journal. "We want to get the message [to] where we know people are getting their information, and Facebook, Twitter and websites are 'the things'," said Dr. Baretta R. Casey, director of the University of Kentucky initiative.
The application can be found at www.causethemovement.org. "Their friends' and family's faces will actually come up into the video," Casey said, to make the subject resonate more with the viewer.
The goal is to educate women about cervical cancer, which can be prevented through screening and the HPV vaccine. The disease is more likely to occur in women over the age of 30, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are 12,170 new cases of cervical cancer each year and 4,220 deaths, according to the National Cancer Institute. The American Cancer Society states there will be 180 new cases in Kentucky this year.
The most common cause of the cancer is the human papilloma virus, which is transmitted sexually. Two HPV vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
"Right now, this is the only vaccine on the market that can prevent a cancer," Casey said. "I have a daughter and I have a granddaughter, and they have both received the HPV immunization because I don't ever want them to come and look at me and say, 'Mom, why didn't you give me this shot? I wouldn't be going through treatment for cervical cancer now.'"
Women can be screened for the disease with a Pap test, which detects abnormal cells that could lead to cancer. (Read more)
- Eastern Kentucky Native Wants To Alert Appalachian Women About Their High Rate Of Cervical Cancer And How To Prevent It
University of Kentucky physician and Pike County native Baretta Casey, right, has spent most of her career providing health care and education throughout the state, with a focus on Appalachian Kentucky. The health disparities between Eastern...
- Boys Should Get Hpv Vaccine To Keep From Spreading Virus
A federal committee has recommended that boys receive the human papilloma virus vaccine, already recommended for girls, to fight the sexually transmitted virus that is known to cause cervical cancer. The vaccine could also protect boys against genital...
- Parents, Children Should Discuss Hpv Vaccine, Study Indicates
A study at Ohio State University found that college-aged women who have talked to their mothers about the human papillomavirus are more likely to get the vaccine that prevents it, Brandy Reeves, right, a certified sexuality educator and health education...
- Funding Available To Help Communities Fight Cervical Cancer
For the second year, agencies, coalitions and community groups are invited to apply for funding to improve cervical cancer screening rates and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations in their areas. Cervical Cancer-Free Kentucky, housed in the University...
- Kentucky One Of Six States To Join Cervical Cancer-free America
Kentucky is one of six states that has joined the Cervical Cancer-Free America initiative, led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The announcement was made today as the country observes National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. As part...