Economic Determinants of Mortality From Diseases of the Digestive System in Russia[Экономические Детерминанты Смертности От Болезней Органов Пищеварения В России]

Mortality in Russia from diseases of the digestive system has grown more rapidly over the past thirty years than from other causes of death, and digestive system diseases have become an increasing factor inhibiting longer life expectancy at birth. Mortality from digestive diseases currently ranks fourth as a cause of death for men and third for women, falling behind only mortality from cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms. Interregional differences in mortality from diseases of the digestive system have been increasing over recent decades. The most pronounced interregional differences appeared after 2005 as mortality from digestive system diseases decreased in several regions, while the trend in most other regions continued to worsen. This article attempts to identify the economic factors determining interregional differences in mortality from diseases of the digestive system. The hypothesis that economic and nutritional factors are significant in explaining those interregional differences is evaluated in the article. The Federal State Statistics Service of Russia is the source of the database for the article’s econometric analysis, which uses the method of estimation by a regression panel model with fixed effects. The resulting estimates indicate that mortality from digestive diseases is positively correlated with average per capita alcohol consumption and negatively correlated with per capita milk consumption. There are also positive effects on mortality from such characteristics of general well-being as increased area of living quarters per inhabitant and a higher proportion of urban residents. These findings are pertinent for devising health policies.