The UK’s No.1 magazine publisher Bauer Media is to raise awareness as part of Public Health England’s first-ever national ‘Cervical Screening Saves Lives’ campaign. This comes as rates of cervical screening are at a 20-year low, with one in four eligible women (those aged 25-64) not attending when invited.

Bauer’s in-house creative agency Bauer Adventure have collaborated with PHE on the campaign which is aiming to open up the conversation on cervical screening and empower women to attend when invited by dispelling any myths and normalising the process.

Female solidarity is at the heart of the campaign and will take a candid look at the realities of the screening process through the eyes of celebrities and real women in a multi-platform campaign targeting women of all demographics.

Championed by influential magazine brands including Grazia, heat & Closer across print, social and online, the campaign has been supported by three influencers in Cairney, Barton-Hanson & Lloyd to front tailor-made branded content. They will share their experiences of screening tests and encourage audiences to get screened.

Abby Carvosso Group Managing Director Bauer Media Advertising, said: “We are honoured to be involved in Public Health England’s first-ever national cervical screening campaign. In light of the shockingly low statistics on cervical screening uptake, we believe that through our magazine brands we can attract our audiences’ attention to this vital campaign and help drive cultural change.”

The Bauer campaign will also feature a selection of real women sharing their experiences of cervical screening, in addition to bespoke editorial content featured in print and online for Take a Break and that’s life.

The unique partnership is part of PHE’s wider national ‘Cervical Screening Saves Lives’ campaign and runs from 5^th March until 28^th April. The Bauer campaign encompasses a suite of bespoke editorial content featuring talent and real-life women across print, social and digital platforms in Grazia, heat, Closer, Take a Break, that’s life.

ENDS

For more information:

Sian Collins – Senior Commercial Communications Executive sian.collins@bauermedia.co.uk – 07718 124 791

About Bauer Media UK:

Bauer Media UK reaches over 25 million UK consumers through a portfolio of world-class, multi-platform media and entertainment brands including heat, KISS, Grazia, Empire, Magic, Absolute Radio and the Hits Radio Network. These brands offer commercial partners access to highly engaged audiences, with creative solutions underpinned by insight and instinct. Bauer Media UK is part of the Bauer Media Group, one of the world’s largest privately-owned media businesses with media assets all over the globe.

About Public Health England

PHE exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. It does this through advocacy, partnerships, world-class science, knowledge and intelligence, and the delivery of specialist public health services. PHE is an operationally autonomous executive agency of the Department of Health. For more information on PHE visit www.gov.uk/phe or follow us on Twitter @PHE_uk

About cervical screening

• All women and people with a cervix between the ages of 25 and 64 should go for screening regularly when invited. Cervical screening (formerly known as the smear test) is a test that takes place every 3 or 5 years (depending on your age) which checks the health of the cervix and identifies any abnormal cells that could develop into cancer
• The symptoms of cervical cancer are not always obvious, and women may experience no symptoms at all until the cancer has reached an advanced stage. If there are symptoms, the most common is abnormal vaginal bleeding such as bleeding during or after sex, in between periods and any vaginal bleeding experienced after the menopause. Other symptoms of cervical cancer may include unusual or unpleasant vaginal discharge, and pain in lower back or pelvis. It is important if a woman experiences any of these symptoms that she visits her GP.
• There are a number of groups of women who are less likely to attend, including; women aged 25 – 29, Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women, and Lesbian and, Bisexual women and Trans men (LBT). While PHE’s campaign will target all women, there will be activity targeted at these groups to increase uptake, as well as training materials given to healthcare professionals on addressing their needs.
• Cervical screening coverage is at a 20 year low: at March 2018 the percentage of eligible women (aged 25 to 64) who were screened adequately was 71.4% against the standard of 80%. (For women aged 25 – 49 – within the last 3.5 years; women aged 50-64 – within last 5.5 years).