Cancer Council Victoria has released a new ‘At Your Cervix’ campaign encouraging young Victorians to prioritise cervical screening as an act of self-care. With less than half of eligible Victorian women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 34 taking part in the National Cervical Screening Program, this campaign is an urgent call for young Victorians to prioritise their health by booking their Cervical Screening Test.
While cervical screening is important for all women or people with a cervix aged 25 to 74, in Victoria only 37.6 per cent of 25 to 29-year-olds and only 40.4 per cent of 30 to 34-year-olds took part in the National Cervical Screening Program in 2018–2019. This is the lowest cervical screening rate for this age group nationally.
Funded by the Victorian Government, the aim of the ‘At Your Cervix’ campaign is to increase these numbers to protect the health of our young communities and ultimately save lives.
Key messages
- Cancer Council is urging women or people with a cervix aged 25 to 34 to prioritise cervical screening as an act of self-care with its new campaign ‘At Your Cervix’.
- Currently less than half of eligible people aged 25 to 34 in Victoria are taking part in the National Cervical Screening Program, we have the lowest screening rate nationally for this age group.
- The Australian Government invites women or people with a cervix aged 25 to 74 to have a Cervical Screening Test every five years through the National Cervical Screening Program.
- Cervical screening can prevent the development of cervical cancer by detecting HPV early, before it has the chance to cause cell changes which may lead to cervical cancer.
- Cervical cancer is largely preventable through HPV vaccination and cervical screening, yet 218 Victorian women or people with a cervix were diagnosed with the disease in 2019.
- Women or people with a cervix are encouraged to book an appointment with their GP when they are due for cervical screening.
- Women or people with a cervix can choose a cervical screening provider through Cancer Council Victoria’s online directory of providers available at www.cancervic.org.au/at-your-cervix.
We encourage GPs and nurses to talk to young women aged 25-34 about having a HPV test. You can access resources to share with your patients and learn more about the campaign by visiting https://www.cancervic.org.au/preventing-cancer/attend-screening/cervical-screening/look-after-your-health-with-cervical-screening/campaign-content-hub
