Local women advised to do regular screenings to mitigate breast cancer

Five per cent of women regularly check their breasts for signs of cancer.

According to the National Cancer Registry 2019, breast cancer remains the most prevalent cancer among women, and females have a one in 27 lifetime risk of developing it.

According to research by Bruni et al. (2019), the breast is the leading cancer site in women throughout the world.
It is also the leading cause of female cancer deaths in almost all countries, except for the most economically developed, where it is second to lung cancer.

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While many factors such as age, family history, genetics and even diet play a role in the chances of developing breast cancer, early detection plays a key role in effective treatment and outcomes.

To encourage self-screening, Cansa has joined hands with retail chain Food Lover’s Market and Grid Worldwide, a leading branding and design agency.

In a national campaign, they appeal to shoppers to check their breasts as often as they check out their fruit and vegetables.

Taking place in October, for breast cancer awareness month, the Check Them Out campaign will see the fresh produce aisles of all 300 Food Lover’s stores across the country brandished with cheeky stickers to remind women to perform home self-examinations to spot lumps, bumps and other irregularities, which could be signs of breast cancer.

While the campaign aims to get a reaction from shoppers in a good way, the aim is to drive proactive cancer screening, as women treated for early breast cancer are likely to become long-term survivors, according to a study published in 2023 by the leading medical research group, The BMJ.

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Besides quirky stickers on fruits and vegetables, the Check Them Out campaign also takes the form of rebranded shopping bags and in-store promotional posters that detail how to conduct a self-examination.

In-store and campaign artwork directs ladies to the Cansa page for further information and crucial next steps should they find something suspicious.

As the ‘Make it Mean Something Company’, Grid Worldwide proactively approached Cansa and Food Lover’s Market for the Check Them Out campaign.

“Everyone knows someone affected by cancer,” said Lauren Shewitz, creative director at Grid.

“As a team, we wanted to create a relevant, memorable and impactful campaign that not only created awareness but also brought meaning to marketing, with the ultimate aim of saving lives.”

Terri Coppin Harris, head of colleague engagement at Food Lover’s Market, said this was an opportunity they could not afford to miss.

“As a retailer that believes in strong family values, we could not pass on the chance to weigh in and support this campaign.

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“Breast cancer is still listed as the top invasive cancer reported for South African women, and this made us realise it can easily affect our shoppers and team members.

“We loved the idea of creating a bold reminder in our stores to educate our consumers and our team about self-examination and screening.”

While shoppers will be reminded to ‘check out their melons’ and ‘feel their avos’ through stickers on selected seasonal fruit, Food Lover’s Market has elevated the campaign in-house by creating an equally strong awareness campaign to engage and inform all Food Lover’s Market team members on the importance of preventative screenings.

Coppin Harris said, “I am confident this campaign will garner the wanted reaction. We are aiming to grab the shoppers’ attention in a big way as it is not every day you see fruit linked to some of our most intimate parts.

“Hopefully, it will make our consumers stop, think and take action.”

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The Cansa national manager of health promotion, Lorraine Govender, said they were excited about the campaign.

“Together, we are raising awareness in a proactive and meaningful way, and delivering on the message that early detection is critical.

“We want to urge everyone to be aware of their bodies. Look out for anything unusual, and get checked out early – it could save your life.”

According to Cansa, breast self-examination in African women was very low and needed to be driven through awareness tactics for behavioural change.