International Union for Circumpolar Health Ministry of Public Health and Social Development of RF Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences Medical Polar Fund “Science” The Northern Forum

Abstracts

Alcohol, smoking, and drug abuse

The assessment of alcohol losses of Russian regions suffer is difficult, but it is obvious that situation in the northern regions of Russia is worse than in other parts of the country (Nemtsov, 2003). The materials for expert evaluation of the alcohol losses in aboriginal populations in the north of Russia are extremely scarce (review: Kozlov, Vershubsky, 1999). In the circumstances, it is valuable to analyze initial statistic data for separate regions and even communities.

Alcohol-associated mortality among indigenous and old-resident migrant population of Berezovo region in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District were studied using medical case documentation for years 1996-99 (infant mortality was excluded). We studied 362 death cases in indigenous and 638 cases in old-resident migrant groups. We have found that 29.3% of deaths among Khanty and Mansi were alcohol-associated, while in the migrant group that was 15.3%. The high rate of deaths from external causes (accidents, poisonings, injuries, homicides, and suicides) results in cut down of the life span. The average age of deceased in Berezovo region, disregarding ethnic belonging, were 47.98 for males, and 60.43 for females, that is 12 years lower than the all-Russia indexes. Among indigenous people the death age averaged 42.55 in males, and 51.59 in females, while the average age of deaths from illnesses was consequently 55.44 and 58.64, and from external causes – 34.96 and 38.14. Thus homicides, suicides and accidents, which are in the majority of cases associated to the alcohol consumption, reduce the life span of indigenous people to 20 years in the average. By 1998 the rate of violent deaths in Mansi and Khanty was 3.3 times in males and 3.9 times in females as high as in Russia as a whole. Alcohol-related mortality among aborigine females 5 times as high as that among Russian old-residents in the North (consequently 15.2 and 3.5%). That probably can be explained by the traditional cultural attitude toward woman drinking, where it is not so censurable as in Slavonic or European society.

The study was supported by RFBR grant 05-06-80427

Note. Abstracts are published in author's edition

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Last update: 06-Jul-2012 (11:52:05)