Health of the population: the problems and the ways for their solution. On the II International scientific and practical seminar

on the II International Scientific and Practical Seminar

In May, 19-21, 2011 the II International Scientific and Practical Seminar “Health of the population: the problems and the ways for their solution” took place in Minsk (The Republic of Belarus).

The seminar’s organizers were the Russian Academy of Science represented by the Institute of the Socio-Economic Problems of the Population of the Russian Academy of Science, by the Institute of the SocioEconomic Development of Territories of the Russian Academy of Science and by the National Academy of Science (The Republic of Belarus) represented by the Institute of Sociology NASB at the support of the Trade Unions’ Federation of Belarus.

The supervisor of the seminar’s studies was N.M. Rimashevskaya, the Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Science, Doctor of Economics, Professor, Honored Worker of Science of the Russian Federation,

Honored Head of the ISERS of the Russian Academy of Science, Adviser of Presidium of the Russian Academy of Science.

The Russian representatives at the seminar were the scientists of the Institute of the SocioEconomic Problems of the Population of the Russian Academy of Science (the corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Science N.M. Rimashevskaya, Doctor of Economics V.G. Dobrohleb, Ph.D in Technical Science E.V. Molchanova, Ph.D in Economics E.I. Medvedeva, PhD in Technical Science S.V. Kroshilin), of the Institute of the SocioEconomic Development of Territories of the Russian Academy of Science (Ph.D in History K.A. Gulin, Ph.D in Economics A.A. Shabunova, Ph.D in Economics G.V. Leonidova, Ph.D in Economics M.V. Morev, junior staff scientist N.A. Malanicheva), the Institute of Economics of the Karelian Centre of Science of the Russian Academy of Science

(Doctor of Economics T.V. Morozova), Petrozavodsk State University (senior lecturer, the doctor of the supreme category E.N. Bazarova).

The Byelorussian representatives who took part in the seminar’s work were the scientists of the Institute of Sociology NASB (Doctor of Sociology Kotlyarov I.V., Doctor of Philosophy Sokolova G.N., Doctor of Philosophy R. A. Smirnova, Doctor of Sociology S.A. Shavel, PhD in Sociology Shuhatovich V.R., junior staff scientist. O.N. Obrazhey, post-graduate student S.A. Pushkevich), of the Institute of Economics NASB (Doctor of Economics A.A. Rakov, Doctor of Sociology L. P. Shahotko, post-graduate student A. G. Bobrova), of the Research Economic Institute of the Ministry of Economics RB (PhD in Economics N. N. Privalova, staff scientist L. S. Stanishevskaya), of the Byelorussian State University (Doctor of Geographic Studies Antipova E.A., Doctor of Mathematics E.I. Zborovsky, Ph.D in Mathematics K. E. Zborovsky, Ph.D in Sociology I.V. Levitskaya), of the Grodno State Medical University (Ph.D in Medicine M.Yu. Surmach), the Committee of public health services of the Minsk Municipal Council (Ph.D in Medicine S.V. Davidovsky), the Byelorussian medical academy of post degree education (PhD in Medicine V.E. Sushinsky), of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Medical Technologies, Information, Management and Economics of the public health services (Doctor of Medicine M. M. Sachek), the Byelorussian Trade and Economic University of consumers' cooperative society (PhD in Economics Zlotnikov A. G.).

Also the scientists from Poland took part in the seminar’s work: Professor of Psychology of the Lublin Catholic University K. Popelsky and Doctor of Psychology L. Suhotskaya.

The subjects of the plenary reports reflected the most actual problems of health in both

Russia and Byelorussia which were considered in the context of the world demographic processes and tendencies. The seminar’s work was organized according to the following basic directions: concept, measures and dynamics of the population’s health; health research at macro- and micro-level; social health; factorial health determinations; problems of children’s and youth’s health; problems of reproductive health; ethical bases of health; work and the population’s health; self-saving behavior of various groups of the population; ageing of the population and the ways for its longevity; modern way of life and health; gender features of health. During the seminar’s work 27 reports were listened and discussed.

The basic talk at the seminar was given by the Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Science N.M. Rimashevskaya. In the report the state of the Russia’s population health for recent years is considered, and the disturbing tendency of its is deterioration marked. Three factorial units which have crucial importance at the formation of the population’s health as a whole and for each person separately, starting with the moment of birth are determined. The first complex is the new generations’ vulnerability connected to a high share of born sick and a fallen ill right after, that results in high infantile and children's death rate, low health of children and youth during life cycle, finally distributing to the condition of adults and even aged. The second complex is connected to the loss of the effective labor motivation which resulted in a sharp health decrease and the death rate growth. The shock model of the socio-economic transformation in the Russian society contradicted with the medical and biologic adaptation of a person to varying conditions of life, causing the excessive stress which lowers an organism’s resistibility.

The third complex of the socio-demographic factors of health is based on low evaluation of human life which has partly arisen under the influence of the theory of “the population’s economic efficiency” introduced in the country. In the result the main thing is not a person, but economic growth determining all the aspects of the social policy, including enhancement intensity of the public health services.

In the author’s opinion, for overcoming this negative trend and for preserving the national human capital it is necessary to modernize the existing distributive relations and to reorient the mechanisms of redistribution towards the poor population. It can be realized on the basis of the formation of the Program “Healthy People”, just as in Japan where there is the Program “Intelligent People”.

ISEDT of the Russian Academy of Sciences was represented by 5 scientific employees.

Ph.D in History K.A. Gulin presented the experience of the Institute of the SocioEconomic development of Territories of the Russian Academy of Science on the organization of the monitoring researches in the sphere of public health. Monitoring sections are: conditions of the healthy generation’s formation (since 1995); public physical health and the conditions of its protection and strengthening (since 2000); public mental health and suicide risk (since 2000); reproductive health and reproductive behavior (since 2003); the efficiency of the resource expenses for protection and strengthening of health (since 2003).

Ph.D in Economics Shabunova A.A. in her talk showed, that the best way of the diseases’ prevention is the healthy way of life. Thus the greatest difficulty consists in the creation of motivation for keeping a healthy way of life for the majority of the Russia’s population. The author convincingly proved that in Russia there exists such style of life, at which health is value and an inviolable private property; at the same time it does not represent real value for its owner. In the conclusion the ways of overcoming the developed situation are shown.

In the report of the Ph.D in Economics Leonidova G.K. health is characterized as a key component of the territories’ labor potential. The analysis carried out by the author shows, that the tendencies of labor potential development in the Russian Federation have negative trends expressed in the population decline and its low quality.

At the same time the requirements of economy to the quality of the working population grow, that testifies at a high degree of deterioration of the fixed capital at the enterprises and their low innovational activity that people work «from last forces».

The innovational way of the development in Russia demands a basic change of opinions on the labor potential quality, the development of adequate measures directed on the increase of its use efficiency.

Ph.D in Morev M.V. presented the picture of the dynamics of public mental and social health of the Russian society and the factors its causing. Recommendations on preservation and strengthening social health are offered.

In her report the junior staff scientist Malanicheva N.A. considers the condition of public health and demographic development in Russia and Byelorussia in comparison with the advanced West-European countries. The important role of the sociological data for estimation of the population’s health is marked. The necessity of carrying out the joint comparative researches directed on the search of ways for the increase of demographic potential and improvement of the population’s health in Russia and Byelorussia is proved.

At summarizing the seminar, the participants of this seminar noted that, in comparison with the last year, the circle of participants of the seminar and the spectrum of the discussed problems has extended. Consideration of the participants’ structure at the seminar showed, that doctors, economists, philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, geographers and mathematicians took part in the seminar.

In a significant part of the reports the methodological and theoretical-conceptual positions generated within the framework of various disciplinary traditions that allows to consider the problems of health in a wide interdisciplinary context were submitted, to develop the coordinated approaches for studying the problems of the population’s health at the stage of formation of the researches’ methodology. In the participants’ opinions, its carrying out allows to improve the coordination of the researches on studying health in the postSoviet space, to develop methodical base of the researches, promotes the reception of the comparable data and the development of the coordinated strategy of social policy.

By the results of the seminar the following decisions are accepted:

• 1.    The Institute of Sociology NAN of Byelorussia in 2011 is to prepare and issue the collection of the materials of II International Scientific and Practical Seminar “Health of the population: the problems and the ways for their decision”.

• 2.    To continue regular holding of the seminar with periodicity once a year and to plan holding the III International Scientific and Practical Seminar “Health of the population: the problems and the ways for their solution” in 2012 in Lublin (Poland).

• 3.    To continue the international research “Health of the youth: the comparative analysis”, having expanded the geography of its participants: Lublin (Poland), Moscow (Russia), Vologda (Russia), Petrozavodsk (Russia), Minsk (Byelorussia).

• 4.    To initiate in Karelia and Byelorussia holding the research “Monitoring of the healthy generation’s formation” by the experience of longtitude, carried out in the Vologda Oblast since 1995.

Shabunova A.A.

Ph.D. in Economics

Department Head of ISEDT RAS

Economical and social changes: facts, trends, forecast 3 (15) 2011