Introduction: The practice of self-medication is widespread among the population. It is a kind of a socio-cultural norm that is habitual for many Russian people. Self-treatment, however, can be dangerous and lead to complications and poor health, thus being a serious challenge for healthcare. Misuse of antibiotics poses a particular danger. Self-medication has many reasons related to personal beliefs and external circumstances. The scientific community is discussing the topic of responsible self-treatment that implies reasonable health care and does not exclude seeking medical advice. The necessity of forming a responsible attitude of Russians to their health draws special attention to the problem of self-medication. Objective: To analyze changes in the prevalence of self-medication among the Russian population and to establish the reasons for its demand in the contemporary context. Methods: The empirical basis of the study was the personal in-home interview survey of the population aged 18 years and older. The field stage was carried out on April 18–27, 2022 in 30 regions of the Russian Federation and captured 1,500 respondents. Result: We have found that the health status and everyday well-being of Russians leaves much to be desired and necessitates different types of treatment. Self-medication remains a common practice. Every second respondent prefers self-care choosing medicines and folk remedies. Yet, we noticed a gradual decrease in the demand for this kind of treatment in favor of seeking professional medical advice. We revealed a significant dependence of the population, especially young people, on taking self-prescribed medications. We established also that many citizens cannot either afford or get access to necessary medical services or drugs in the area of residence, and are therefore compelled to self-treatment. The worse the respondents assess the healthcare system, the less often they consult a doctor and the more often they opt to self-medicate. Conclusions: The problems described indicate the importance of raising awareness of self-treatment and potential dangers of drug self-administration among Russian people. It is essential to improve the general level of the culture of health and responsibility of citizens for their health, and to create conditions for getting affordable professional medical care.
Significant efforts aimed at improving state inspection and enforcement activities are underway in Russia. The final beneficiaries of such public functions are usually citizens, as inspection and enforcement affect public health, the safety of property as well as other public values such as environment or cultural heritage. However, to date there have been no methodic approaches to evaluating performance of inspection and enforcement activities from a citizen perspective. The article presents the results of a sociological survey conducted based on the authors’ methodology, which aims at collecting citizen perceptions on effectiveness of inspection and enforcement activities and the reform in this area. The survey sample accounted for 1,010 adult respondents in 28 Russian regions. The study assumes that every citizen is a potential client of inspection and enforcement bodies, whether they have had any interaction with such bodies or not. Therefore, the survey aims at collecting public perceptions of public values safety (such as life, health, property and assets, and other interests) from various risks. The study also demonstrates how personal experience in protecting public values influences the perceptions about safety. The survey shows that only 30 percent of respondents evaluate their safety from risks (threats) as very good or rather good; the safety level among respondents who have experience in taking measures to protect such values is only 18.4 percent. Overall, the sociological survey suggests the possibility and the need to include the indicators reflecting the perspective of citizens as the final beneficiaries of inspections and enforcement activities in the list of indicators for inspection reform evaluation.
Журнал ориентирован на научные исследования актуальных проблем в социально-трудовой сфере. Научные направления -экономика и социология.
Unfavorable demographic trends give relevance to the search of possible directions for reducing the incidence rate, strengthening the health of citizens and increasing the life expectancy of the Russian population, which is one of the priority national tasks. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly complicated the situation by increasing population decline and causing significant damage to its health. In this regard, the activation of health care resources is of particular importance, but no less important is the attitude of people themselves to their health, manifested in the way of life, various everyday practices of behavior.The purpose of the article is to analyze, on the basis of sociological data, the dependence of the state of health of citizens, their lifestyle, various behavioral practices associated with saving and promoting health, on the presence of a high level of education. The empirical basis of the study was formed by the results of an all-Russian sociological survey conducted in 2021. The results obtained allow us to assess the potential of higher education in increasing the desire of citizens of modern Russia for self-preserving behavior and a healthy lifestyle.The results of the study show that educational groups of different status have their own characteristics of propensity to various diseases, which, quite obviously, may be associated with the lifestyle of their representatives. According to the survey, people with higher education assess their health better, care more about it, express greater awareness of the factors that determine human health, interest in a healthy lifestyle, which is manifested in more active behavioral practices aimed at maintaining and strengthening own health.
Introduction: Food culture is one of the basic principles of a healthy lifestyle. Malnutrition has numerous adverse health effects, overweight and obesity being the most prevalent ones. Yet, many people find it quite difficult to mind their diet and, in fact, care little about the choice of healthy and safe foodstuffs or healthy cooking techniques. In this respect, fast food poses a certain danger. The objective of our study was to analyze and evaluate nutritional practices of representatives of different socio-demographic groups of Russian people and to establish the reasons for the lack of healthy eating habits. Methods: Within the framework of the research, an all-Russian sociological survey was conducted using the method of an in-home personal interview. The survey was conducted from April 8 to 19, 2021 in 30 regions of Russia. The sample size was 1,500 people aged 18 years and older. Results: Rational nutrition has not yet become a daily practice for many Russians. The fast pace of life and busyness of the population are an obstacle to meal consumption regularity. Still, many respondents report a lack of healthy eating habits. The main criteria for choosing a food product include its price, quality, taste, and health benefit. At the same time, the price has recently become a stronger determinant, especially for low-income and retired citizens. Fast food restaurant chains help save time and money spent on meals and become increasingly popular among Russians. Conclusion: It is expedient to stimulate the interest of the population in issues of a healthy diet in terms of the quantitative and qualitative food composition and to encourage the habit of eating regular meals. This is especially relevant for young people, who are often very careless about their health.
Introduction: The problem of maintaining and promoting health is relevant for all working citizens, regardless of the form and conditions of their work. A decrease in the mortality rate in the working-age population is one of the priorities of the national demographic policy. Employers shall pay great attention to occupational safety, prevention of occupational injuries and diseases, and work–rest schedule. Routine behavioral practices of employees, however, play an important role in health promotion. At the same time, the form of labor activity affects their attitude to a healthy lifestyle and the respective behavior pattern. The objective of the study was to analyze current differences in behavioral practices of health maintenance and promotion between manual and non-manual workers. Methods: The article is based on the results of the social survey of 1,500 people aged 18 years and older conducted on April 18–27, 2022 in 30 regions of the Russian Federation using the method of an in-home personal interview. Result: The results of the survey revealed different behavioral practices in workers of physical and mental labor. Knowledge workers generally pay more attention to their health: they take dietary supplements and vitamins, have regular health checkup, follow basic principles of a healthy lifestyle, including systematic physical activity, a healthy diet, and rejection of bad habits. Blue-collar workers, however, raise concern as they demonstrate opposite results. Conclusions: The survey findings are of interest in terms of assessing the potential of strengthening health resources of manual and non-manual workers. Measures of health promotion and disease prevention can be more effective if they address both occupational risks and lifestyle behaviors of the workforce.
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