SCA Launches 'Be TENAcious' Campaign with Six-Time Olympian Anne Abernathy and HealthyWomen

PHILADELPHIA, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 1 in 4 women over 40 face bladder control issues and many are suffering in silence and not seeking out solutions that can enable them to lead the lives they desire. That is why SCA, through its TENA® brand, is launching its latest advocacy campaign designed to open a dialog, inform and inspire women to overcome the challenges of bladder control issues with a simple message – Be TENAacious!

Tenacious is defined by Merriam-Webster as "persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired," and embodies the mission of the "Be TENAcious" campaign. Starting in April, TENA®, the globally-leading brand of bladder protection products and services, will begin to highlight real, tenacious women who are confronting the condition head-on in order to help the millions of women with bladder control issues break their silence. Leading the charge will be Anne Abernathy, the six-time Olympic luger who has made a career of breaking barriers – and will now add bladder control issues to her list. Anne will share her inspiring story about her experience with bladder control issues to kick off the campaign that will also feature educational content developed by HealthyWomen, the nation's leading independent health information source for women.

About Anne Abernathy

Anne Abernathy is no stranger to facing challenges. She holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest woman ever to compete in the Winter Olympics and is the first woman over fifty to participate in the Winter Games, single-handedly changing the perception of age in her sport (leading to her nickname "Grandma Luge"). Her eighteen-year Olympic career started after the age of thirty, when most athletes typically retired, and continued through life-threatening injuries, cancer, and sixteen knee surgeries. She is now featured in the book, "Women of True Grit," written by Eddie Hand and Tina Savas. Anne will serve as the first spokeswoman for the Be TENAcious campaign, sharing her unique views and experiences on overcoming personal and professional challenges including bladder control issues.

"Throughout my life, I have not been afraid to tackle the many obstacles that have stood in my way. Having experienced bladder control issues first hand, I know that for many women, the thought of admitting to the condition would be more stressful than even racing down a luge track at 80 miles per hour. That is why I am excited to join with TENA and am so passionate about helping motivate and inspire the millions of women facing the same condition to not let it deter them from achieving their goals," said Be TENAcious spokeswoman, Anne Abernathy.

"Be TENAcious" and HealthyWomen Alliance

The campaign will feature a number of online and offline programs including the creation of two web portals, BeTENAcious.net (in the U.S.) and BeTENAcious.ca (live in Canada in May 2010), housing new web content powered by HealthyWomen and TENA's websites featuring information and education on bladder control issues and inspirational insights from Anne Abernathy.

"Healthy Women is pleased to work with TENA to help provide women with answers to one of today's most common, yet still unspoken health concerns, bladder control issues," said Elizabeth Battaglino Cahill, RN, executive director of HealthyWomen. "We hope this campaign sheds more light on this common condition and empowers women to be TENAcious."

Women Are Suffering in Silence

Be TENAcious is the latest extension of the TENA Bladder Talk campaign, launched in 2009 to get women to open up about bladder control issues. The BladderTalk survey of 780 women in the U.S. and Canada found that nearly 40 percent of women with bladder control issues have never discussed their condition with anyone and – despite its severe emotional toll - 43 percent of them have never done anything about their symptoms. TENA® has made education, evolution and empowerment central to its ongoing efforts to assist men and women living with bladder control issues to live their lives to the fullest and not let the condition slow them down. To bring even greater consumer attention to modern solutions to bladder control issues, in late 2009, TENA created a national advertising campaign titled "The Evolution of Bladder Protection," which breaks from traditional category advertising by taking an open and honest approach to the condition, putting a stylish spin on marketing bladder protection products. The campaign features a number of innovative bladder control products from TENA including its line of gender specific underwear and its newest product, Ultra Thins, the first Ultra Thins product line designed for women with moderate to heavy bladder control issues.

"Each day, millions of women struggle with bladder control issues. For many of those women, the condition can be embarrassing and often inhibits their quality of life. That is why we hope to educate and inspire them to live fully and not hold back," said Spencer Deane, Vice President of Marketing for SCA Personal Care North America. "Through our work with the renowned HealthyWomen and with the voices of inspirational and courageous women like Anne, we will continue our efforts to break down the longstanding taboo of bladder control issues and evolve the perception that those with the condition must sacrifice their goals and aspirations."

For more information about the program and female bladder control issues, visit www.BeTENAcious.net (www.BeTENAcious.ca to be live in May 2010), www.tena.us (or www.tena.ca) and www.HealthyWomen.org.

About TENA®

With more than 50 years of experience, TENA® is the worldwide leader in the management of incontinence, providing products and services for individuals and healthcare facilities throughout 105 countries. TENA® provides a full range of absorbent products tailored to the distinct needs of men and women, including pantiliners, daytime and overnight pads, male guards, protective underwear, briefs, skin care products, and underpads. With the TENA® brand, SCA is at the forefront of developing products that minimize the impact of incontinence and improve the everyday lives of people living or working with bladder control issues or incontinence.  TENA® products feature innovative technologies, such as comfortable QuickDry™ topsheets, super-absorbent Lock Away Core™, and Advanced Odor Protection, to ensure protection, comfort and discretion for wearers.  For more information, please visit: www.tena.us.

About SCA:

SCA is a global hygiene and paper company that develops and produces personal-care products, tissue, packaging solutions, publication papers and solid-wood products. SCA has many well-known brands, including the global brands TENA and Tork. In 2009 global sales were $14.5 billion. SCA conducts sales in 100 countries and has 50,000 employees. More information at www.sca.com

About HealthyWomen

HealthyWomen (HW) is the nation's leading independent health information source for women. For more than 20 years, women have been coming to HW for answers to their most pressing and personal health care questions. HW provides health information through our wide array of online content and print publications that is original, objective, reviewed and approved by medical experts and reflects the latest advances in evidence-based health research.

TENA® is a registered trademark of SCA Hygiene Products.

Tork® is a registered trademark of SCA.

SOURCE SCA TENA