Determinants of Mortality of the Russian Population from Respiratory Diseases: Statistical Analysis

The article analyzes the individual determinants of mortality of the Russian population from respiratory diseases – one of the most common types of disease in the country. Mortality from this class of causes has traditionally occupied the fifth place in the structure of mortality in the Russian Federation. However, since 2020, due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), this cause of death has moved to fourth place, surpassing mortality from diseases of the digestive system. Moreover, this indicator remains at an increased level compared to the pre-pandemic period, which requires increased attention to this problem. The study aimed to assess the contribution of certain characteristics of regional economic development and the healthcare system, environmental and behavioral factors to the formation of mortality rates from respiratory diseases. The information base consisted of data from the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) from 2005 to 2022 on 77 regions of the Russian Federation, as well as the information on budget expenditures of territorial compulsory health insurance funds. The author conducted an econometric analysis of panel data with fixed effects to assess the relationship between the morbidity of both urban and rural population from diseases of the respiratory system and mortality from them with the analyzed determinants. The findings allow for determining the most significant socio-economic, environmental and demographic determinants of the mortality from respiratory diseases among the Russian population. The study's conclusions emphasize the importance of such public policies aimed at reducing mortality from respiratory diseases as tobacco control and environmental initiatives, particularly the implementation of the «Clean Air» federal project.