MED5523 - Report on Epidemiological Concepts: Smoking and Lung Cancer

This report analyzes the epidemiological concepts presented in a seminal paper linking smoking and lung cancer. It examines the dramatic increase in lung cancer deaths in England and Wales between 1922 and 1947, addressing potential explanations such as population growth, changes in age demographics, and improved diagnostic standards. The report also discusses the impact of factors like birth rates, urbanization, resource availability, and advancements in healthcare on population growth and age-specific life expectancy. Furthermore, it acknowledges the role of socio-economic determinants and health disparities in influencing disease prevalence despite advancements in healthcare. The analysis concludes by emphasizing the correlation between population growth, mortality rates, and the factors discussed, while noting the ongoing debate regarding the direct causative link between smoking and cancer.

Running head: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
Epidemiological Concepts
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
Smoking and Lung Cancer has been linked in a proabable association because of the
increased number of deaths attributed to lung cancer. In England and Wales, the deah tolls due to
smoking causing lung camcer was significantly high. According to a study(Doll and Hill 1999),
the tenure between 1922 to 1947, witnessed an enormous rise in mortality rates in England and
Wales, which was found to increase from 612 to 9287. This report will put forth an analytical
view on the probable reasons wich were considered to be causative and relative with this
observation, along with illustrations.
The population growth in that period can be attributed to the increase in the Birth rates
(Sinon 2019)coupled with a simultaneous reduction in death rates annually. Another reason can
be the initializing trends of urbanizationin that phase, resulting in enhanced rates of migration
from rural to urban areas. This further aggravated the shift in population growth(Carlucci et al.
2020). Besides all these, the improved availability of resources, progressive changes in the health
indicators, raised the Quality of life, adding up to the population growth(Ellinson 2019).
Increased availability and accessibility of Food, cascade a series of outcomes like improvement
in nutritional and health status, followed by improved Quality of life and consequent rise in
population(Wu et al.2019). Illustratively, both food security, as well as access to health facilities,
was one of the primary reason behind population growth in most of the developed countries
across the globe

2EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
Figure 1 : Immigration and increased population growth in UK (Migration Watch UK,
2020)
The rise in geriatric population can be correlated with the availability of promising health
facilities, along with the improvement in food security, has further laid the basis of increased
age-specific life expectancy. Another reason behind this rise in the aging population is the
changes in demographic factors(Un.org, 2020). Also, the decrease in fertility rates and the
consequent upsurge in life longevity also act as an additional factor. Therefore, it can be said that
higher is the development of the health-related facilities; more significant will be the continuity
of a longer life of the geriatric population. Illustratively, in developed countries like the United
kingdom , the rate of an upsurge in the Older population(England.nhs.uk, 2020) has been
designated to the advanced and progressive lifestyle trends accompanied by improved health
facilities and resultant enhanced life tenure of the older people in the population group.

3EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
Figure 2 : Growth rate of Gediatric population in UK (CBBC - China-Britain Business
Council - CBBC - News, 2020)
Advanced and Effective Health care has been a predominant key to the growth in
population. The gradual influx of modern trends of Diagnostic health treatments promoted early
as well as convenient assessment and diagnosis of any ailment. In the long run, such progression
in terms of Health plays a significant role in curbing the morbidity as well as the mortality
rates(Tripathi et al.2019). However, the socio-economic determinants, that is, the economic
status and social background, intervene with the accessibility to health facilities resulting in
Health disparity across the population. For instance, the incidence of non-communicable diseases
is high in most of the countries, despite the health-related advancements(Convey et al.2019).
This can be attributed to the uneven distribution and access of these facilities across the different
strata of the population, which ultimately triggers the disease prevalence rate as well.

4EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
Figure 3 : Health standards and Population growth (Our World in Data, 2020)
Therefore, this above report concludes that the three reasons stated and analysed , can
exert a correlative impact on the population growth along with te natalaity and mortaliy rates, but
the link with the argument that smoking causes cancer is still debatable.

5EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
References
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cities: revisiting worldwide urbanization patterns, 1950–2030. Applied Economics, pp.1-13.
CBBC - China-Britain Business Council - CBBC - News, 2020. CBBC - China-Britain Business
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insights-healthcare-%E2%80%93-uk-companies-caring-for/> [Accessed 14 March 2020].
Conway, D.I., McMahon, A.D., Brown, D. and Leyland, A.H., 2019. . Measuring socioeconomic
status and inequalities. 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France© International
Agency for Research on Cancer, 2019 Distributed by WHO Press, World Health Organization,
20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, p.71.
Doll, R. and Hill, A.B., 1999. Smoking and carcinoma of the lung. Preliminary report. 1950.
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Elinson, J. ed., 2019. Health goals and health indicators: Policy, planning, and evaluation.
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England.nhs.uk, N., 2020. NHS England » Improving Care For Older People. [online]
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Migration Watch UK, L., 2020. A Summary History Of Immigration To Britain. [online]
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[Accessed 14 March 2020].

6EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
Our World in Data, M., 2020. Future Population Growth. [online] Our World in Data. Available
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Simon, J.L., 2019. The economics of population growth. Princeton university press.
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S., Ohinmaa, A. and Veugelers, P.J., 2019. The influence of diet quality and dietary behavior on
health-related quality of life in the general population of children and adolescents: a systematic
review and meta-analysis. Quality of Life Research, pp.1-27.