Was the Kylie ‘wow factor’ a good thing?

THEY called it the ‘Kylie factor’. When the perky popstar was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, screenings surged.

Women – particularly younger women who are not generally considered at risk – rushed to get checked. Kylie Minogue’s fans flocked to both record shops and screening centres, and many pledged donations to breast cancer research.

All of which is good news, right? Well, maybe not all of it. Maybe it’s not always a good idea to let celebrities drive debate on health issues. On the one hand they bring the spotlight, on the other hand they often endorse crazy diets or unproven remedies.

In the case of Kylie, speaking out about her breast cancer may have led to an increase in breast cancer screenings, but it also led to more young women getting unnecessary checks, which can involve exposure to radiation and ‘false positives’ (when they are mistakenly diagnosed).

Experts are divided on how much the rich and famous can contribute to the public health debate.

University of Sydney Professor of Public Health Simon Chapman is in the it’s-a-good-thing-for-celebrities-to-join-public-health-campaigns camp. He writes in today’s British Medical Journal that celebrities “often speak personally and bring compelling authenticity to public discourse”.

He said we shouldn’t expect “perfect outcomes” – pointing to the scandal when cricketer Shane Warne accepted wads of cash to promote a nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking, only to be snapped fagging on.

But overall, he said, the publicity can often be for a force for good.

“The ambivalence about “the Kylie effect” reflects enduring debate about the wisdom of breast screening, but it should not blind us to the potential value of celebrity engagement in important causes,” he said.

On the other side of the fence is Geof Rayner, an honorary research fellow at the City University London. He also writes in today’s BMJ but he says celebrity status is “fleeting” and the beautiful people risk becoming the story themselves.

“What celebrity culture does so effectively is promote icons of rampant consumerism and fantasy lifestyle,” he said.

He sees celebrities as pushing unhealthy ideas about wealth and fame, and while they “help shift products”, campaigners “need to go on the offensive against junk food, alcohol, gambling, and other often celebrity linked, commercial propaganda”.

“Some celebrities might help, but let’s not look for saviours, buoyed by the happy thought that the work is done when a celebrity is involved,” he said.