Celebrities' health decisions have long been associated with heightened awareness and health trend changes. This is the first study conducted in an Arab population investigating the impact of ...international celebrity news on local communities using the case of Angelia Jolie's (AJ) prophylactic mastectomy and oophorectomy surgeries. The objective was to measure the effect of publicized medical information on cancer genetic testing knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). This is a cross‐sectional study using a semi‐structured, self‐administered questionnaire for clinic visitors at the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC). We had predominantly female (n = 262, 66.3%) and healthy participants (n = 248, 66.5%). Approximately 80.7% (n = 330) recognized AJ, the actress, and of these, 71% (n = 232) were aware of her recent diagnosis and prophylactic surgeries. Males reported a higher knowledge score (p < .001). However, females had more initiative to seek information (18.3% vs. 10.1%; p = .04). People aware of Angelina's prophylactic procedures were inclined to seek information regarding cancer genetics (20.8% vs. 9.6% p = .003). Breast and ovarian cancer patients were more likely than other cancer patients to encourage family members to undergo prophylactic surgery in case of BRCA1/2 mutations (39.2% vs. 17.1% p = .03). Ninety‐three percent of the sample lacked knowledge regarding the availability of cancer genetic testing in Jordan. Results highlight a clear effect of celebrity medical news on our population, as well as openness to consider genetic testing as an early detection tool for women with a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer. Generalization of these results to the population of Jordan requires further studies.
This article focuses on the local understandings, responses and interpretations of celebrity activist Angelina Jolie and the film she directed in 2011 about the war rapes in Bosnia and Herzegovina: ...In the land of Blood and Honey. We first provide a brief historical context of the production and promotion of the film. Next, we offer a theoretical approach to the phenomenon of celebrity activism. In the third part, we look at how Jolie’s film has been received and interpreted in the region itself, since Jolie’s stated goal was to ‘raise awareness about war rapes’. On the basis of in-depth interviews with Bosnian public intellectuals, we argue that the film’s story of war rapes and suffering did little to raise awareness about war rape victims generally and was interpreted primarily within two discursive frameworks: celebrity and ethno-nationalistic ones that tend to reinforce the status quo in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina and perpetuate misunderstandings about war crimes. Jolie’s activism, in other words, did not contribute to the reconciliation between different ethnicities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but has, on the contrary, further fostered polarization that continues to plague the region.
In May 2013, Angelina Jolie revealed to the media that she had undergone preventive double mastectomy after testing positive for a
BRCA1
gene mutation. Media coverage has been extensive, but it is ...not clear how such a personal story affected the public and cancer genetics clinics. We conducted a retrospective review using data from the clinical database of the Familial Cancer Program at our centre. The impact of Ms. Jolie’s story on genetic counseling referrals and the appropriateness of such referrals were assessed and reported. The number of women referred for genetic counseling increased by 90 % after 6 months and remained high one year after AJ’s story with an increase of 88 % from baseline. The number of women who qualified for genetic testing increased by 105 % after 6 months; this increase persisted but was somewhat lower after one year with an increase of 68 % from baseline. Furthermore the number of
BRCA1
/
2
carriers identified increased by 110 % after 6 months and by 42 % after one year.
The effect of Mrs. Jolie’s story persisted one year after its release; however in the latter half of the year, the hereditary cancer risk of referred women was significantly lower than initially observed. The next challenge for our health care system will not only be to meet the increased demand for cancer genetic services in our region, but also to ensure that referrals and hence use of genetic counseling resources are appropriate.
Global media has the power to influence the ways the public engage with health services. On May 14th 2013, Angelina Jolie published an article in the New York Times magazine, outlining her decision ...to undergo BRCA mutation testing due to a family history of cancer; then proceed with a mastectomy. The article evoked significant interest from the media and the public. During the months that followed, the Familial Cancer Program (FCP) at Genetic Services of Western Australia (GSWA) experienced a significant increase in referrals and enquiries. Resources were overstretched and it became clear we needed to adjust work practices to manage the escalating numbers. New strategies were devised to cope with the influx of enquiries, albeit without the benefit of additional resources. We conducted an audit of referrals to the FCP made between January 2012 and December 2014. This included a comparison of the months prior to and following the New York Times article. The aim of the audit was to quantify the impact of the “Angelina Jolie effect” on referrals to the FCP. Whilst the increased awareness of the role of genetic services in risk assessment and testing for familial breast and ovarian cancer was considered positive, pre-referral risk assessment at the primary health level to evaluate the appropriateness of their patients for referral could have been helpful. Potentially, many inappropriate referrals to FCP may have been avoided with primary health evaluation thus lessening the burden on our service and preventing unnecessary worry in well women who possessed minimal family history or risk factors. It is important to understand the factors driving the uptake of risk reduction activities, particularly if engagement with a genetics service is considered part of that pathway. Continued education about cancer risk due to family history, individual features and awareness surrounding genetic testing criteria, costs and availability is required for both the public and health professionals.
The article discusses the celebrity humanitarian as media construction. Departing from a discussion of celebrification, the article argues that celebrities in public roles outside the field of ...entertainment are inevitably framed by and structured in accordance with celebrity logic. The article discusses how celebrity humanitarianism is a contested field, which, in order for a particular activity to support the celebrity persona, relies heavily on strategies of authentification. Finally, the article shows how information about a photograph of Angelina Jolie from her trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in March 2013 is
and
about the star’s private life when discussed by users on a celebrity site.
This article analyses Angelina Jolie through her status as an exemplary celebrity - that is, as both particular and typical - considering how that exemplarity has been constructed through gender over ...the last two decades. The article focuses specifically on Jolie's autographic presentation of her agency and embodiment, two elements crucial to gender analysis in celebrity studies. From the 1990s to the 2000s, Jolie's celebrity underwent a significant transformation that altered the dimensions, scope, and character of her celebrity image. From a provocative 'bad girl', she became a global action star, philanthropist, committed partner in the Jolie-Pitt celebrity dyad, and mother of six, including adoptive children born in Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Vietnam, and biological children born in Namibia and France. Surprisingly, as her power, visibility, and global celebrity increased, her presentation of her agency has assumed a more receptive, feminine, and invisible character.
En los últimos años se ha difundido en el español coloquial la construcción X hizo/ se marcó un Nombre propio (v.gr. Edurne hizo/ se marcó un Angelina Jolie). Su sujeto tiene el papel temático de ...agente, únicamente aparece con los verbos hacer(se) y marcarse, y su objeto directo es un sintagma determinante introducido por un y seguido de un nombre propio que se interpreta como un evento dinámico y delimitado. El concepto ad hoc que se comprende de este nombre propio depende del contexto de los participantes de la interacción, estos deben encontrar un evento que se corresponda con un acto típico del individuo que se menciona. En la adquisición de esta construcción han coadyuvado el calco de una construcción semejante del inglés y la existencia previa de usos del verbo hacer con sustantivos como objetos directos cuyo origen es un nombre propio (v.gr. El saltador hizo un fósbury).
Breast cancer is one of the most common diseases in the Polish society. In 2015, around 17,000 Polish women were diagnosed with this type of cancer. A comparison of relative survival rates for ...different European countries shows that the Polish oncological care system is inefficient in terms of breast cancer treatment. Women in Poland have substantially lower chances of surviving the first five years a er being diagnosed than women in most other European countries. An inspiration, and at the same time the main theme of the paper is assessing the availability of a controversial treatment, i.e. risk-reducing mastectomy, to patients at high risk of breast cancer. The primary goal connected with this issue is an analysis of breast cancer prevention in Poland in light of applicable provisions of law and, in a broader context, availability of oncological services in the scope of breast cancer prevention and treatment in Poland. The following research methods were adopted in the implementation of the above mentioned objectives: non-systematic review of the PubMed medical database, review of literature and other available sources of information, including press releases, conference materials and online sources. Furthermore, relevant acts of law have been selected and analysed, with the use of a pre-specified glossary of key terms. Cancers are becoming an increasingly big issue. Every year the incidence rates are higher, and in consequence the number of patients receiving cancer-related benefits grows. The current legal regulations governing the availability of cancer-related benefits seem to be insuficient.
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