Health promotion and early detection of cancer in older adults: needs assessment for program development

The greatest risk factor for developing cancer is age, yet little is known about the cancer-related knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of the older adult (age > 55 years). A community-based needs assessment was conducted to understand these dimensions in a large metropolitan community. Ten focus groups (n = 158 older adults) and 9 individuals were interviewed. Content analysis for the audiotaped sessions was completed. The study participants focused on "being active" and living a healthy lifestyle. Many worried about illness interfering with their ability to do what they wanted to do. Many had had exposure to cancer through family members or friends, but still had many unanswered questions about cancer. Age was not seen as a risk factor for cancer, and a range of attitudes existed regarding cancer prevention and early detection. Overall, despite fearing cancer, participants thought older adults needed to know about cancer and suggested a wide range of approaches to disseminate information effectively to older adults.