Maintaining the Secondary Prevention against Breast Cancer for Women in Emilia-Romagna (IT) and External Social and Economic Shocks (2002-2016)

I presented studies on the effects on secondary prevention against breast cancer for women in the city of Bologna after the 2010 changes in the offering of breast cancer early detection services within the National Health Service at the AEA Annual Meetings in the last years. The results showed that starting from these changes a significant part of the women in this city, who previously received mammogram for the early detection of breast cancer, gradually moved away from mammogram (at least received within the National Health Service) and, in particular, this happened for women who previously accessed mammogram via spontaneous access with the prescription of the general practitioner (Gatti S., AEA Poster 2022). One of the essential elements to achieve a high level of effectiveness of early detection of breast cancer lies in maintaining the recommended regular intervals for mammograms and other diagnostic investigations, and is therefore centered on the perseverance of women and their full participation in the interventions of early detection. Now, in this paper I present on the basis of the same data provided to me (as a citizen in Generalized Civic Access) by the Regional Health Service (about 5,000,000 bilateral mammographic service records) and for the whole Emilia-Romagna region an analysis of the effects of social and economic shocks, external to the National or Regional Health Service or Local Health Authority, on the perseverance of women in Emilia-Romagna in maintaining the secondary prevention path against breast cancer. The time period of the study is that between 2002 and 2016. Indicators of measurement of these effects on the secondary prevention against breast cancer for women linked to the most significant social and economic shocks in Italy and Emilia-Romagna in those years will be presented. The shocks that essentially undermine certainties and points of reference are considered.