Anna Kournikova And Berlei Drive Home Women's Breast Health Issues

Anna Kournikova international tennis star and face of the best selling Berlei Shock Absorber sports bra range, announced today that over half the women in the UK who regularly take part in sport are running the risk of irreversible damage to the breast by not wearing a sports bra. These surprising findings were revealed in a recent survey by MORI commissioned by Berlei.

Anna Kournikova, one of the world's leading sports professionals fully understands the need for proper support while participating in sport. Anna's the dynamic new 'face' of Shock Absorber and has endorsed this, high performance sports bra range with a billboard advertising campaign which was launched today across the UK.

Speaking at a press conference at the International Lawn Tennis Centre in Eastbourne today Anna said:

"I was amazed to learn from the MORI survey that an astonishing number of women felt that wearing a sports bra only matters when you take part in very active sports. This really is not the case and over half the women questioned were not aware of the damage that could be caused by not wearing the right bra. I hope that this research along with the new advertising campaign will encourage women to recognise the importance of wearing a sports bra."

During the Eastbourne press conference, Angela Masella, Marketing Director of Berlei, stated that neglecting to wear a sports bra when taking part in any sport can result in premature sagging of the bust for which there is no cure, apart from corrective surgery. The breast is attached to the chest wall with only delicate ligaments and any excessive breast movement - especially that associated with exercise or sport puts considerable stress on these ligaments which can cause them to stretch.

Medical research conducted by Berlei in 1995 before the launch of Shock Absorber, emphasised the importance of wearing fully supportive sports bras during exercise. In a separate survey of 200 GPs, 82% of doctors interviewed agreed that wearing specialist sports bra helps prevent breast motion, reduces stress on the breast ligaments and helps delay long term sagging.

MORI research findings:

• Six in ten women aged, 16-45 (56%) participate in sport or sporting activities regularly (i.e. every couple of weeks)
• Three in ten participate in two or more sports and 13% are particularly active - regularly taking part in three or more activities
• 52% of women surveyed considered wearing a sports bra only necessary for very active sports
• Aerobics, a relatively high impact sport, was the most popular sporting activity with women surveyed, followed by going to the gym
• 54% of women surveyed were unaware of the damage which may result from not wearing a sports bra

Technical details

The MORI survey was conducted between 9-14 & 16-21 March 2000 and interviewed, a nationally representative quota sample of 1,393 women aged 16-45 across Great Britain.