The Use of the Health Disparities Calculator in Analysis of the Lung Cancer Burden in Urban and Rural Populations in the Świętokrzyskie Province (Poland): 1999–2010

The purpose of the study was a comparative analysis of the burden of lung cancer in urban and rural areas in the Świętokrzyskie Province in the years 1999–2010. The material for the study accounted for information about the number of new cases of lung cancer obtained from the Świętokrzyskie Cancer Registration Office in Kielce and data from the Central Statistical Office concerning the number of deaths due to lung cancer in the years 1999–2010. Crude and age-standardized incidence, mortality, and potential years of life lost rates were calculated separately for groups of men and women in urban and rural areas. A comparative analysis of coefficients in urban and rural areas based on Rate Ratio (RR) and Rate Difference (RD) was performed by using the Health Disparities Calculator. The average annual incidence of lung cancer among men was 18% lower in the urban population than in the rural, while the mortality rate was 16% lower. For women, the incidence and mortality rates were higher in urban areas as opposed to rural areas – by 48% and 54% respectively. The comparative analysis of the burden of lung cancer showed great diversity between urban and rural populations in the Świętokrzyskie Province.