A study, done by Cancer Research UK, shows that women who rarely or never vote in elections are more likely to skip medical screening too. Emotional barriers, such as shame, have often been found as the biggest obstacle in attending medical screenings. This study shows that practical barriers, such as planning a convenient appointment, are more likely to cause low attendance.Dr Jo Waller, research associate, said: In terms of the correlation between voting and screening attendance, it may be that as both activities require a degree of organization, women who do not manage to vote because of busy lives may also be unlikely to attend screening.

Although the authors of the article call for further research, the outcome of the study is encouraging since minimizing practical barriers is a much more achievable goal than minimizing emotional barriers. EvdL

Reference: The Royal Society of Medicine