title: Cancer prevention among adults aged 45-64 years: setting the stage.
abstract: As part of setting the stage for this supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, a life-course perspective is presented to assist in understanding the importance of cancer prevention for adults in midlife, a period roughly spanning 20 years between ages 45 and 64 years. Drawing on disciplinary perspectives from the social sciences and public health, several life-course themes are delineated in this article: how specific life transitions present unique opportunities for interventions to inform policy and practice that can improve population health outcomes; how interventions can be focused on those at particular life stages or on the entire life course; and how the onset and progression of chronic conditions such as cancer are dependent on a complex interplay of critical and sensitive periods, and trajectory and accumulation processes. A translational research framework is applied to help promote the movement of applied public health interventions for cancer prevention into practice. Also explored are differences that can affect people at midlife relative to other age cohorts. Specifically, cancer-related risks and care networks are examined, with examples of public health strategies that can be applied to cancer prevention and control. As a conclusion, select methodologic issues and next steps for advancing research and practice are identified.
authors: School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas. Electronic address: mory@srph.tamhsc.edu.
authors: Marcia G
authors: MG
authors: Ory
authors: Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC; Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors: Lynda A
authors: LA
authors: Anderson
authors: Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina.
authors: Daniela B
authors: DB
authors: Friedman
authors: School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas.
authors: Jairus C
authors: JC
authors: Pulczinski
authors: School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas.
authors: Nola
authors: N
authors: Eugene
authors: School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California.
authors: William A
authors: WA
authors: Satariano
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011315:Preventive Medicine / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical