Mobile App can Save Women's Lives in India

A mobile app used by on-the-ground healthcare workers might be the answer to reaching more women and teaching breast examination techniques.

A mobile app could help turn the tide of a rise in breast cancer in women as young as 30 in India, according to new research at the University of Portsmouth, UK.

The disease is the most prevalent form of cancer globally and has become a major problem in India, where breast cancer accounts for 25% to 31% of all cancers. There has also been a significant shift away from older women to those aged 30-50 developing the disease.

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‘Mobile health technology (mhealth) can be used as an opportunity to improve cancer healthcare knowledge for women in India.’

India has emerged as a hub central to the development of new technology. It is time the Indian government made a concentrated effort on raising awareness about the early warning signs of this disease as a preventative method.

For this purpose, a breast healthcare app could be used by Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) to combat the rise in breast cancer statistics.

These on-the-ground healthcare workers are already accepted by the community, they overcome socio-cultural barriers as part of their normal day-to-day work, and they could encourage vulnerable target groups to engage with breast cancer education.

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Using an app they could also demonstrate breast self-examination techniques that identify the early warning signs of cancer, which is fast and simple to use.

The reason for such appalling statistics in India was a lack of awareness about the early warning signs of breast cancer by women.

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Macro environmental forces including the weak political will to fund women’s health, combined with a society in which societal protocols render a discussion about cancer as culturally sensitive.

To overcome these shortcomings, researchers suggest broadening the scope of mheath technology to raise breast cancer awareness among Indian women.

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Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women. It is often said that a woman who breast-feeds is at a lower risk of developing cancer compared to another who does not .Are these mere old wives tales or is there some truth in it? This quiz on breast cancer has all the details.

Source-Medindia