Why does cancer cluster?

What do Florida sunbathers, midwestern farmers, rural black men, and Long Island women have in common? They all have higher-than-average risks for certain cancers. Researchers know that cancer clusters are usually caused by several factors. As cancer becomes America's leading cause of death, the public will be keenly interested in sorting out the causes and reducing the risks.     

The mother market

Giving a woman good prenatal and maternity care can capture the health-care spending of her entire family for life. The next decade will bring several challenges to those who market maternity products and services, including fewer new moms, fewer babies in many markets, more minority mothers, and the end of childbearing for the baby-boom generation. The biggest challenge will be to provide a wide range of high-quality childbirth options in the cost-conscious world of managed health care.     

Selling drugs

Doctors might not be crazy about the idea, but patients are walking into their offices asking for specific drugs. They have heard about them on TV or read about them in magazines.     

Vision in an aging America

Like it or not, baby boomers' eyes are getting weaker. Older eyes have trouble with small print, glare, and low-contrast color schemes. They are also more prone to a variety of eye diseases. Businesses that ignore the fuzzier world of older eyes may become invisible to a growing share of consumers.     

Selling good behavior

Social marketers use the tools of selling to promote good nutrition, regular checkups, and other positive behavior. Instead of preaching, they try to understand and change the complex motivations that lie behind risky activities like smoking and unsafe sex. AIDS prevention is the vanguard of social marketing in the U.S., but the practice is likely to spread for a simple reason: it works.