Cancer Prevention Across the Lifespan builds upon past work of the CDC Cancer Prevention and Control’s Cancer Prevention Across the Lifespan Workgroup (CPAL), which included collaboration with NACDD to conduct literature reviews and convene meetings of experts to identify factors that influence cancer risk and promising strategies to address these risks throughout the lifespan. More information about the previous work of the CPAL workgroup is available on the CDC website cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/prevention/lifetime.
This year the core focus areas are Caregiver Stress and Environmental Health.
NACDD has analyzed caregiving data collected from community-dwelling adults 45 years of age and older in 2015- 2017 through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, administered as part of the Caregiver Optional Module in 44 states, the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico. According to Caregiving for Family and Friends, A Public Health Issue Brief compiled by NACDD, based upon the BRFSS data, caregiving can be emotionally and physically demanding.
- >Over half (53%) of caregivers indicated that a decline in their health compromises their ability to provide care.
- >14.5% of caregivers reported experiencing 14 or more mentally unhealthy days in the past month.
- >17.6% of caregivers reported experiencing 14 or more physically unhealthy days in the past month.
- >40.7% of caregivers report having two or more chronic diseases.
- >53.4% of caregivers aged 65 years and older have two or more chronic diseases compared to 34.8%
The complete Issue Brief may be viewed here.
NACDD and CDC have collaborated to identify six subject matter experts in the field of caregiving to gather on November 21, 2019 at NACDD Headquarters to review data and findings from peer reviewed journals and their own policy and practice experience to discuss opportunities for cancer prevention for the caregiver. We anticipate convening a webinar on the environmental health topic in early 2020.
Learn more at chronicdisease.org/page/CancerPrograms .