Changes in the reproductive behavior of women in Komi-Permyak Okrug, Perm Kray, in 1987–2020

Abstract

Introduction. Rosstat discontinued registering ethnic belonging of subjects in their data on births, thus hindering the monitoring of changes in reproductive behavior and demographic transition in ethnic groups. Medical records can partially compensate for this deficit. The aim of the study was to reveal the changes in the reproductive behavior of Komi-Permyak and Russian women living in rural settlements and a town in Komi-Permyak Okrug (KPO) from 1987 to 2020. Materials and methods. The data were extracted from 2801 medical records on normal singleton births in 1987, 1996–97, 2007, and 2019–20 by continuous sampling. Results and discussion. From 1987 to 2020, the average age of Komi-Permyak primiparae increased by one year in rural areas and by 2.4 years in the town; the proportion of puerperae over 27 years of age rose from 31 to 62%. The sexual debut – first labor interval increased by 2.4 years in townswomen and by 1.3 years in rural residents. The number of abortions prior to the first labor decreased. In the Komi-Permyak study group, the average body weight of the newborns with a high (>5) sequential birth number was not higher than that of the born second and third, but it was lower in those born to unmarried mothers. The Russian newborns with a high sequential birth number were heavier, but the difference between children from full and incomplete families was insignificant. Conclusion. The manifestation of demographic transition and changes in reproductive attitudes in the women of KPO are similar to the all-Russian ones. The number of third and subsequent childbirths increased in 2007–20, but that does not compensate for the overall decline in natality. The interethnic differences in the contribution of birth number and marital status factors on weight at birth may indicate a different quality of life (which requires further research), and also insufficiency of the measures to support single mothers.