Statistical analysis of disability of the Vologda oblast population in 2017-2021

According to the World Health Organization, the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the problems of providing planned and preventive health care to the population. In the future it may lead to a growing gap between the values of life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, and, consequently, to an increase in the burden of disability. For Russia as a whole and its regions in particular, these problems are of paramount importance. The growing burden of disability determines the need for an integrated approach to the prevention of disabling diseases among the population, especially in older ages, and also actualizes the development of effective measures to promote the social participation of persons with disabilities. Solving the problem of reducing the loss of public health from disability involves, among other things, monitoring relevant statistical indicators. The Vologda Oblast is one of the regions where the observed relative indicators of disability of the population correlate with the average Russian ones. The purpose of this study is to identify the features of population disability in the Vologda Oblast against the background of the situation in the regions of the Northwestern Federal District in 2017-2021. The analysis shows that the values and trends of disability indicators of the Vologda Oblast population are close to the average values for the federal district. At the same time, the oblast has some specifi c features that characterize the age structure of children’s disability and the participation of disabled people in work activities. In particular, if in Russia and the Northwestern Federal District the maximum increase in the number of disabled children in 2017-2021 was registered among adolescents aged 15-17 years, then in the Vologda Oblast the number of the group of 8-14 years old increased most signifi cantly. In the region, the proportion of disabled people of the second group among the working disabled of able-bodied age is signifi cantly lower than the average in Russia and most regions of the Northwestern Federal District. This fact indicates that there are fewer employment opportunities for disabled people in the regional labor market who need special working conditions or equipped workplaces. Taking into account these features makes it possible to more accurately determine the key areas of disability prevention in the region, as well as measures to promote the employment of disabled people.