Impact of socio-economic factors on the formation of disability in children of Russia

Abstract

Introduction. There are not enough studies dealing with the assessment of impact of socio-economic factors on the health of the population at the interregional level. However, the instability of the economic situation requires a periodic repetition of such researches. The aim of the study is to establish the relationship between the children’s disability prevalence and the main indices characterizing socio-economic situation in the Russian Federation. Materials and methods. Official data on the prevalence of disability in children aged 0-17 years and the level of basic indices characterizing the socio-economic situation in the country were analyzed in the context of 83 constituent entities of the Russian Federation for the period 2017-2019. The socio-economic characteristics of the population were the unemployment rate, monetary income, housing conditions, and consumption of basic food products. Spearman rank correlation method was used to determine the links. Results. It was established that there is still significant interregional variability in the prevalence of children’s disability both in Federal districts and in the subjects of the Federation. It’s been revealed various degrees of severity correlation between the childrens’ disability prevalence in the subjects of the Russian Federation and many socio-economic factors including unemployment; average per capita monetary income of the population; the proportion of the population with monetary incomes below the subsistence minimum; total area of residential premises, which is on average per inhabitant; the share of young families registered as needing housing, from the total number of family cells with children under 18 years; consumption of cheaper food. Conclusion. The results should be taken into account in the development of programs for the children’s disability prevention; full responsibility should not been placed on the healthcare system only.