Promoting cancer screening through social media analyses

Early identification through screening is a crucial element in reducing the burden of cancer. But many people don't participate in the mass screening offered and recommended by the Dutch state. How do people arrive at this decision and what role is played here by news and social media that report on screening? Enabled by a grant from ZonMw, a consortium led by the University of Amsterdam is researching this question and providing tools to benefit informed decision-making in a dynamic media environment. Cancer screening is an important method used by the Dutch state in combating cancer, with screening for breast cancer as a well-known example. Research has shown that women who don't take part in breast cancer screening have an increased risk of dying compared to women who do get screened. At the same time, it appears that a significant proportion of people in the Netherlands who are invited for screening don't actually take part in this process. So it's important to find out how people make an informed decision about whether to be screened or not, and how they are influenced here by information from the state, through news platforms and on social media.