IBM helps to improve breast cancer information campaigns

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Breast cancer is in Belgium the number one cause of death for women. One out of every nine women will be confronted with breast cancer throughout her life cycle. Despite these staggering numbers, still many women are insufficiently informed about the disease. As an extension of the Minerva Project for breast cancer information, Pink Ribbon and IBM have co-organised a mini jam about, breast cancer prevention. A mini-jam is the combination of an online conference with other interactive digital communication  tools. For example a quiz to test participants’ knowledge, a question/answer session, an online conference and a forum.

Breast cancer risk factors and prevention
Martine Lewi (IBM) moderated  the breast cancer mini jam session. Throughout this session she was supported by Pink Ribbon medical advisor, dr. Pia Cox. During the precursory questions, it soon became clear that there are still a lot of misunderstandings. One of the most prominent misunderstandings is that daily alcohol consumption is not associated with breast cancer. On the contrary, only one glass a day can already increase the chances of developing breast cancer with 7 %. Another little known fact is that breast cancer is determined by genetics in only 8% of the cases.

Through this initiative, Pink Ribbon aims to make women more aware of the crucial role they play themselves in diagnosing the disease. Luckily there are several ways in which women can decrease the chances of developing breast cancer. Maintaining a healthy life style is key. , e.g.

• Exercise on a daily basis (30 minutes)
• Adhere to a balanced diet
• Avoid overweight concentrated around the abdomen
• Limit the use of alcohol

The Minerva Project
The mini-jam initiative is an extension of the Minerva project, which aims at leveraging social software tools for better information dissemination and knowledge sharing.  The Minerva project provides an innovative communication platform. By registering, participants can interact anonymously with peers and experts alike to obtain and share personal experiences and information on breast cancer prevention. The interactive platform based on IBM Connections and IBM Forms Experience Builder also integrates multiple analytic tools – among which IBM SPSS & Content Analytics Studio. In this way IBM Connections and Analytics make it possible for researchers to get precious insight into the effectiveness of breast cancer information campaigns. This can be valuable input for improving the communication campaigns in the area of breast cancer prevention.

This interactive way of discussing breast cancer prevention plays a crucial role in the awareness about the disease. Scientific evidence shows that early diagnosis leads to less invasive treatments and to better survival.  Pink Ribbon and IBM are working together in order to engage more women in the breast cancer awareness campaign.

Contact details:
Tine Lewi
Senior Managing Consultant, IBM Benelux
Mobile: +32 (0)474 97 36 05
eMail: martine_lewi@be.ibm.com