Cervical Screening Month - September 2010

The communications campaign launched in 2007 to encourage women to join the National Cervical Screening Programme and increase rates of cervical screening has delivered outstanding results over a sustained period. It has increased awareness and discussion, phone calls and programme enrolments. The campaign continues to play a vital role in reducing the impact of cervical cancer in New Zealand. 

The National Screening Unit is again used September – Cervical Screening Awareness Month – as an opportunity to promote cervical screening. Promotions were undertaken in partnership with Johnson and Johnson, Progressive Enterprises and the Cancer Society.

Cervical Screening Awareness Month had particular significance this year, with the launch of new television commercials encouraging women to have regular cervical smears. Advertising will be tagged with the Cervical Screening Awareness Month message and a comprehensive range of activities are being planned to support providers’ local activities. 

In August, packs were distributed to clinics and smear-taking practices, containing:

• Cervical Screening Awareness Month ‘tent cards’ for clinic reception desks
• Cervical Screening Awareness Month posters
• samples of Stayfree pads
• Cancer Society elements hand and body lotion samples for distribution to women having a smear test in September.

In September, Stayfree pads in participating supermarkets carried cervical screening messages, and Cervical Screening Awareness Month were promoted in Foodtown, Woolworths and Countdown stores throughout New Zealand.

A web-based competition ran, in which participents went into the draw to win one of 1,000 Neutrogena Lip Glosses worth $24.95. As well, in September Johnson & Johnson mentioned the National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP) in its advertising and NCSP advertising mentioned Stayfree.

PR and media support

As well as the release of a national media statement, providers were supported in their efforts to generate local news coverage.

Success of last year’s promotions

Cervical Screening Awareness Month promotions last year achieved very positive results, including:

• 20,591 new visitors to the National Screening Unit website
• 11,410 Stayfree competition entries
• approximately 1,000 more calls to the NCSP 0800 number (nearly 50 percent higher than prior to the introduction of Cervical Screening Awareness Month)
• positive response to the use of advertising in supermarkets and on women’s sanitary products to encourage women to have smear tests.