Women will be told not to be afraid of smears during the new NHS campaign

Women will be told not to be afraid to get smeared as part of a major NHS awareness campaign.

There are widespread alarms about numbers showing that the cervical cancer screening program is underutilized.

The trend has been attributed to embarrbadment, as well as a lack of doctor appointments.

Yesterday, Daily Mail highlighted the research of a charity showing that 80% of women had delayed testing because they felt conscious about the body. Experts warn that millions of people risk their lives because they are too embarrbaded to be tested for cervical cancer.

The new campaign, overseen by Public Health England, begins in six weeks. TV and social media ads will explain the importance of smear tests.

Screening has saved about 5,000 lives in the UK each year by detecting abnormal cells before they become cancerous.

The Public Health England campaign will be launched in March. This comes after research has revealed that women could put their health at risk by not being tested

The campaign will also highlight the risk factors for cervical cancer, including badually transmitted HPV infection, smoking, and taking the pill. It is the most common form of cancer among women under 35, with 3,000 new cases in the United Kingdom each year and 1,000 deaths.

The PHE campaign, Be Clear On Cancer, comes almost ten years after the death of Jade Goody on March 22, 2009. The star of reality TV, barely 27 years old, missed many appointments with a test of smear, despite abnormal results. His death initially led to an increase in the number of participants in smear tests, known as the "Jade Goody" effect.

However, the latest NHS Digital figures indicate that only 71% of women are up-to-date on screening, with around five million behind.

This rose from 75.7% in 2011, two years after the death of Miss Goody, to its lowest level since records began. According to Jo's Trust, a charity dedicated to cervical cancer, this drop is due in part to embarrbadment and lack of doctor appointments outside working hours.

This PHE graph shows the predictive distribution of the results on a sample of 100 women

Young women, older women, women from ethnic minorities and bad and bibadual women are all considered "non-frequent"

The test is offered every three years to women aged 25 to 49, then every five years for women aged 50 to 64.

It checks for the presence of abnormal precancerous cells in the cervix of the uterus, which can be removed before they become harmful.

About one in 20 women have abnormal cells, but not all of them need to have them removed surgically.

Professor Anne Mackie, Screening Director at Public Health England, said, "The Be Clear on Cancer Campaign will play a vital role in raising awareness of cervical cancer screening, because it is very worrisome to see fewer women , especially young women, launch themselves.

"We know that for some women, concerns about embarrbadment or discomfort may discourage them from taking the test.

"We hope the campaign will tell them what the test is and let them decide if it suits them."

The research conducted yesterday by Jo's Trust involved 2,000 women aged 25 to 35 years.

In total, 81% said they felt embarrbaded by the smears, 71% were scared and 67% said they did not control the process.