Women’s Health Day in Burwood for Mandarin Speaking Women
We recently brought our mobile screening service to Burwood alongside a dedicated Women’s Health Day in Mandarin, helping more women access breast screening in a way that feels comfortable and culturally appropriate.
In the Burwood local area, more than 1,000 women aged 50–74 speak Mandarin, yet only 36% participate in regular breast screening. In March, we partnered with Sydney Local Health District’s Population Health Unit, Burwood Council, Cancer Council NSW, Leichhardt Women’s Community Health Centre and Can Revive, to deliver our first Mandarin -language Women’s Health Day at our mobile van.
“When we deliver screening in a culturally appropriate and accessible way, we see more women engage and take action for their health,” said Sharon Allen, Acting Health Promotion Manager at BreastScreen NSW.
The event combined community activities with in-language education sessions, giving women the opportunity to learn more about cancer screening and speak with a women’s health nurse. Women could also access multiple cancer screening tests in one place, including breast screening, cervical screening self-collection and bowel screening kits.
Around 60 women attended, with strong engagement across the day. 36 women had a breast screen and 21 booked future appointments. We also supported 25 women through health consultations, with 15 cervical screening self-collection tests undertaken and 20 bowel screening kits distributed.
During the time our mobile van was in Burwood, 420 women attended for breast screening, with an 11% increase in participation among Mandarin-speaking women.
This shows what is possible when we work closely with communities to make screening more accessible. We will continue to deliver culturally appropriate programs across NSW to support more women to screen regularly.
If you would like to learn more or be involved in a community event, contact us on 13 20 50.
