Human health in the Arctic: socio-spatial discourse (case study of the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous okrug)

The purpose of the research presented in the article is to study the attitude of various social groups of residents of the Far North - the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation to health, taking into account extreme natural and climatic conditions. Geospatial conditions are imposed by the socio-spatial vector of development of the Russian Arctic, which should coordinate neo-industrial development of certain parts of this territory, the formation of a new transport and logistics system, and the reproduction of the agro-industrial complex. There are groups of actors in each of the identified areas, who carry out their activities in the Arctic territories on a permanent or temporary basis, which makes the northerners' health issues highly specific and requiring a comprehensive analysis, including the sociological one. The scientific novelty of the research and its results presented in the article consists in a combination of geo- and socio-spatial approaches to studying the attitude to health among various social groups of northerners, and analysis of their specifics in Arctic conditions. The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug is the base region of the study. Its health care system has both positive results and unresolved issues in the field of population health. The authors reveal the possibilities of its further improvement based on sociological and interdisciplinary research from a systemic perspective, taking into account the fact that the main resources of health saving are lifestyle, nutrition, quality medical care, and the environment. The authors note that the situation significantly differs in large and small cities of the Arctic, villages and shift settlements, and among nomads in the tundra. The materials of statistics, mass representative surveys, and comparative expert assessments are analyzed. The research findings illustrate the identified opportunities for improving the health of different groups of the Arctic population and indicate the need to significantly strengthen the comprehensive scientific support of Arctic projects, including sociological monitoring. The materials and results of the work are particularly relevant due to the upcoming Russia's presidency in the international Arctic Council.