РАСПРОСТРАНЕНИЕ КУРЕНИЯ И УПОТРЕБЛЕНИЯ АЛКОГОЛЯ СРЕДИ СЕЛЬСКОГО НАСЕЛЕНИЯ РОССИИ
Authors:   Institute of Agrarian Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saratov, Russia, Vyalshina A.A. 
Published: December 2021

Significance. Tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption are the major public health problem. These causes lead to the increased morbidity rates, excess mortality, decreased healthy life expectancy, lost health, deteriorated heredity and health of children, high health costs associated with prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Alcohol consumption and smoking among rural dwellers are important factors hindering effectiveness of programs aimed at demographic, infrastructural and socio-economic development of rural areas. Purpose. To analyze prevalence of bad habits (tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption) among rural dwellers both in dynamics (1994-2019) and by main socio-demographic groups. Material and methods. Results of the Russian Monitoring of Economic Situation and Health of the Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE) (1994—2019) served the study information basis. To meet the study purpose, a subsample of rural dwellers residing in settlements with population under 1000 people was developed. The subsample included men and women of five age groups: 1). under 18; 2). 18-25 years; 3). 26-45 years; 4). 46-60 years; and 5). over 60. The total subsample number equalled to 34 833 people, including 15 741 males (45.2%) and 19 942 females (54.8%). The analysis of multivariate distribution of the respondents' answers was carried out using the SPSS 17.0 statistical data processing package. Results. There was a gradual decrease in the share of smokers among rural males from the maximum of 67.4% in 2003 to 47.1% in 2019.The share of smokers among rural females reached its maximum in 2011 (11.9%) with a subsequent decline to 8.7% in 2019, with the share of female somokers increasing 2.8 times during the study period. A smooth upward trend in the share of women smoking in the active childbearing age of 26-45 years was identified (from 4.1% in 1994 to 21.1% in 2019). The average age of the smoking debut decreases with every new generation in both males and females. With age the share of smokers of "quality" tobacco (filtered) decreases with a proportional increase in the share of smokers of "low-quality" tobacco (unfiltered cigarettes, cigarettes, hand-rolled cigarettes). A detailed age-specific analysis of the number of cigarettes smoked shows that the smoking intensity in men decreases with age, while it increases in woman. Gender differences in the dynamics in alcohol consumption were revealed. From 1994 to 2005, a noticeable decrease in the share of alcohol consumers was registered among males (from 69.3% to 59.5%, respectively), while the share of alcohol consumers among females remained almost changed during this perios (42.0%-45.0%). The rise in consumption in 2006 was more pronounced among females (by 26.4%) compared to males (by 21.3%). As a result, the difference between the share of male and female alcohol consumers decreased during the study period (from 27.1% in 1994 to 13.3% in 2019). Increase in the share of alcohol consumers in 1994-2019 equalled to 2.9% in males and 16.7% in females. Among rural males aged 18-25, the share of alcohol consumers decreased by 26.4% in 1994-2019, while among females of the same age it increased by 17.2%. Decreased consumption was observed in the age group of 26-45 years, both among males (from 78.7% in 1994 to 65.1% in 2019) and females (by 4.3% compared to 1994). The trend in alcohol consumption in the 46-60 year group is of the utmost concern: the share of male alcohol consumers decreased from 68.4% to 61.0%, while it increased (by 19.3%) among females, resulting in a lower difference between the level of male and female alcohol consumption (from 38.6% in 1994 to 3.2% in 2019). Among rural dwellers over 60 the situation is similar: men began to drink less (by 13.3%), while women started to drink more (by 10.3%). Conclusion. The study has identified the increased tobacco and achohol consumption among rural females. With a lower tobacco consumption among females compared to males, negative growth trends have been noted in both the share of female smokers in rural areas and intensity of smoking. A trend towards a significant increase in alcohol consumption has been identified in both young females aged 18-25 and women over 45. In 1994-2019, tobacco consumption among rural males of all age groups, especially males under 18 and males aged 18-25 decreased. Alcohol consumption among males also significantly declined, especially in the youth cohort.