Two out of five Italians postpone medical visits due to embarrassment, according to a Scottex-Airc campaign.

Two in five Italians postpone medical visits due to embarrassment. Despite the vast majority being aware of the importance of taking care of their health, 76% of our fellow citizens believe that discussing certain aspects of this area is still taboo, and 41% have experienced embarrassment due to checkups or medical visits, a figure that highlights a significant obstacle to accessing care. Among the health aspects considered most difficult or embarrassing to address are bowel movements, cited by 23% of those interviewed. These are some of the findings from a study conducted by Doxa on a representative sample of the Italian adult population and commissioned by Scottex, a brand of Kimberly-Clark, a leading international consumer products company, in support of the partnership with the AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research to support colon cancer research and raise awareness of the importance of prevention and early diagnosis.

"We are extremely proud to have entered into this partnership with the Airc Foundation, co-funding a two-year Investigator Grant project on colon cancer led by Giuseppe Bifulco of the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Salerno," comments Stefania Ghidetti, Head of Marketing Family Care at Kimberly-Clark Italy. "We also hope," she continues, "that our commitment and joint efforts will raise awareness of the symptoms of colon cancer, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis. The new 'Let's Make Ourselves Comfortable' campaign aims to encourage people to overcome taboos related to using the bathroom."

According to Chiara Occulti, Chief Marketing & Fundraising Officer of the Airc Foundation, "Our primary goal is to promote a culture of health among the general public, using accessible and positive language to address a topic that, even today, causes embarrassment for many Italians. At the same time, thanks to the company's concrete commitment, we can fund two years of an innovative project dedicated to the study of colon cancer, thus helping to support the best oncology research in our country." Specifically, the collaboration includes a two-year commitment from the company of €150,000 for an Investigator Grant research project on colon cancer—led by Giuseppe Bifulco of the University of Salerno—which aims to block some of the inflammatory mediators involved in the disease and develop molecules active against colon cancer, thus offering new therapeutic options for this type of tumor.

The partnership also takes shape in Scottex's "Let's Make Ourselves Comfortable" communications campaign, which aims to raise awareness and encourage people to overcome taboos related to bathroom use. Kimberly-Clark will also highlight the partnership on Scottex-branded toilet paper products by distributing 24 million packs, reaching over 6 million families. Colorectal cancer is a disease with a significant social impact: estimates indicate that over 48,000 people are diagnosed in Italy each year, making it the second most common cancer among women and the second leading cause of cancer-related death.

The research highlighted the need to promote greater prevention among Italians: 56% of respondents monitor their bowel movements for prevention purposes only if they notice something unusual, while 8% find this practice uncomfortable, and 4% avoid it altogether. Furthermore, a full 31% of Italians say they have little or no knowledge of the health warning signs that can be detected in bowel movements.

Overall, the research in Italy still finds significant room for improvement in terms of attitudes to preventive healthcare: only 22% of those interviewed say they regularly undergo preventive medical checkups even when they are asymptomatic, while one in two Italians undergoes them only occasionally, and a full 10% never undergo preventive checkups. Women, at 29%, and people between the ages of 55 and 64, at 31%, are more likely to undergo regular checkups, while men are less likely to engage in prevention. The quantitative survey used the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) methodology. A total of 1,000 interviews were conducted, representative of the Italian population between the ages of 18 and 64. The interviews were conducted considering specific distribution quotas by sex, age, educational level, and geographic area. The survey took place from June 11th to 19th.