Life expectancy and health of urban and rural population of the region in the context of the pandemic of COVID-19 (on the example of the Komi Republic)

The article is devoted to the comparative assessment of the health state and strategies of self-preservation behavior of urban and rural population as factors to increase life expectancy. Changes in the life expectancy of urban and rural population of Russia and the Komi Republic in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dynamics of cause-specific mortality, the mortality rate from coronavirus infection are considered. The sociological survey has found out that self-assessment of health in rural areas is lower, there are practically no differences in the prevalence of chronic diseases, but there is a higher percentage of overweight people in rural areas, with high blood pressure and glucose in blood. In addition to the lack of access to emergency and high-tech health services and the less common preventive model of self-preservation behaviour in association with the healthcare system, the low life expectancy of rural population is determined by double and heavy employment, resulting from low living standards, as well as increased levels of consumption and the quality of alcohol products, that cause high mortality from external causes and are an additional health risk factor, leading to significant mortality from circulatory system diseases.