How health distribution can be linked to inequality; Lung cancer across social class Introduction The distribution of health is determined by a wide variety of individual, community and national factors. There is a growing body of evidence documenting inequalities in both the distribution of health and access to healthcare in the UK. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer for both men and women in England (Office for National Statistics, 2013). Most cases of lung cancer in the UK occur due to tobacco smoking, 80-90% of lung cancer cases can be attributed to this and only 10-20% of cases are attributed to diet and occupational exposure to carcinogens, such as radiation (Parkin, Boyd, & Walker, 2011). Research also suggests that socioeconomic deprivation is associated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer. Analysis The incidence of lung cancer is strongly related to deprivation and there is a clear trend for rates to increase with increasing levels of deprivation in the UK. In 2008, 14.3% of males and 13.2% of females in affluent areas developed lung cancer compared to 25.2% of males and 26.3% of females in poorer areas (National Cancer Intelligence Center, 2013). The link between socioeconomic deprivation and lung cancer may be due to the higher prevalence of smoking and heavy smoking in lower socioeconomic groups. Graph 1 below shows the difference in tobacco smoking in both men and women across social class, where 1 is the least deprived and 6 is the most deprived. Graph 1 http://www.sochealth.co.uk The socioeconomic status of the reference person in the household is also a factor on the basis of which cigarette smoking varies. In 2011, the prevalence of smoking between the middle of the paper and the lungs, reflecting past exposure to asbestos, is more common among manual workers in the construction and shipping industries, resulting in a higher incidence of lung cancer in a socio-economic condition. -lower economical. Conclusion From the results it is clear that people belonging to a lower social class have a higher incidence of lung cancer. Tobacco smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer in the UK and smoking is the main cause of differences in disease and death between the poor and the rich (Gruer et al. 2007). While the desire and motivation to quit smoking appears to have no difference depending on socio-economic status, people from poorer areas have lower smoking cessation rates (Bauld, L, 2006). People from poorer areas also have poorer education and are less motivated to make lifestyle changes to improve their health.