Public Health Priority: Lung Cancer in Young Adults

Running head: PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITY
Public health priority
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PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITY
Introduction:
Health is one of the most valuable assets of a community. It is impossible for a
community or a population to have a prosperous growth and future without a healthy population
in the community (Hills, Dengel & Lubans, 2015). However, with diseases diversifying more
and more every single day, the communities are facing several health issues and adversities.
Although each of the health issues are equally detrimental on the health and welfare of the
community, there are certain areas which manifests the most influential impact on the
community health, with regards to either the prevalence of the health care issue or the
deliberating impact of the same. These daunting health concerns that affect people on massive
scales community wide are also known as health priorities. On a more elaborative note, health
priorities refer to the concerned areas of public health that demands immediate attention to be
taken to restore the health of the community (McGregor et al., 2017). This essay will explore the
public health priority of lung cancer affecting a large population in order to understand the
incidence and prevalence of the target group of young adults and how it can be strategically
managed.
Definition of the health priority:
The health priority chosen for this essay is lung cancer, one of the most common found
cancers in men and women. Lung cancer is one of the most highly reported cause of death across
different age groups, along with that it is also one of the most common types of cancers among
the young generations (Liam et al. (2015). As per the statistical report on health status of
Singapore, the most notable health concern is lung irritation disorders. The data states that
Singapore still represents a massive rate of air pollution due to congestion, heavy industrial

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PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITY
growth, and slash-and-burn agriculture method, which is still heavily practiced in most of
Malaysian countries. These contributors add up to a huge risk of the inhabitants developing a
myriad of lung or respiratory disorders, out of which lung cancer is a significant one. Reflecting
on more data points, statistics suggest that lung cancer is also the 2nd most common cancer type
in men and the 3rd most common cancer type in women. Lung cancer contributes to 7.6% of the
total cancer mortality in Singapore, and although smoking is undoubtedly the most important
contributing factor leading to the lung cancer, 25% of the total Singaporean lung cancer victims
state that they have never smoked, which in turn states that either passive smoking or the ever-
rising pollution is the reason behind the prevalence (Singaporecancersociety.org.sg, 2019). There
have been 6000 lung cancer moralities in last year itself in Singapore and the rate of young
adults acquiring the disease is rapidly increasing.
Validating the argument:
Although, there undoubtedly are a varied range different health issues that are prevalent
in the young adult target population, lung cancer has been chosen for a few fundamental reasons.
First and foremost, the hike in the smoking rates in the age groups is the most pertinent causal
factor leading to the high prevalence of lung cancer. Islami, Torre and Jemal (2015) suggests that
the hike in the rate of new smokers is a direct result of peer pressure and societal pressure, where
many teens and tweens feel obliged to take up smoking to feel socially included and avoid
becoming social outcasts. Hence, undoubtedly the massive lack of knowledge and understanding
in the detrimental impact of the habit of health and how it leads to lung cancer, a fatal or terminal
disease no less, is the reason leading up to uncontrolled hike in lung cancer rates (Ilbawi &
Anderson, 2015).