Introducing a breast health strategy into schools

Discusses the process of introducing a breast health strategy into schools through multi‐disciplinary working. Although breast screening plays an important part in the early detection of breast cancer, up to a third of women do not take up their invitation for screening. It is argued that breast health education is a vital step towards normalising discussions about breasts, promoting breast awareness and countering misconceptions about breast cancer and breast screening. The breast health strategy evolved from a motivation to introduce an educational intervention into schools through a collaboration between school and community. The process included some informal research and evaluation at each stage which helped the team to reflect, and to inform the next stage of the project. This indicated that many teenage girls have misunderstandings, and may benefit from breast health education in schools. Having established the beginnings of a feasible strategy, the need for more systematic research and evaluation is recognised.