Population Health Index of Russian Regions in the Context of SDG Key Indicators

• Main Authors: A. V. Starshinin, N. A. Grechushkina, A. S. Pokusaev
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Russian
• Published: Research Institute for Healthcare Organization and Medical Management of Moscow Healthcare Department 2024
• Subjects: health index; population health; health statistics; health determinants; russian regions; sdg indicators; covid-19; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Chukotka; Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.47619/2713-2617.zm.2024.v.5i3;4-16; https://doaj.org/article/8c7db25517794132bd226c6549c87b5a

Introduction. According to the World Health Organization, the pandemic of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has eliminated the global results of a steady increase in life expectancy, affecting countries and territories all over the world in different ways. Subjects of the Russian Federation have also been unevenly affected by COVID-19, causing changes in such a complex indicator as the population health index.The aim of the study was to determine the population health index of the subjects of the Russian Federation based on a number of health-related indicators of the SDG for 2022, as well as the most developed and the most vulnerable regions, taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic.Materials and methods. The Health index of the Russian subjects (oblast is a federal region, okrug is a district, republic, etc.) was calculated upon the recommendations of the World Health Organization on the calculation of the urban health index. Additionally, correlation analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling were used.Results. The highest values of the population health index were observed in Moscow, North Ossetia, Sevastopol, St. Petersburg, and Tyumen Oblast (range from 0.241 to 0.239), while Ivanovo Oblast, Tver Oblast, Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Pskov Oblast (range from 0.191 to 0.000) showed the lowest indicators. The inequality coefficient is 1.532, which reflects a certain degree of health inequality among the population of Russian subjects.Conclusion. Despite the limitations due to the calculation methodology, the results of the study provide clear information on the state of population health in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has posed unprecedented pressure on regional healthcare systems. The results of the index calculation can serve as the basis for a more detailed assessment of health-related factors among the population living in the territories with the lowest index indicators.