Health of population: from individual value to the basic factor of economic development

The article deals with analysis of changes in the significance of health as one of the main population quality characteristics and a human capital component. On the data from studies of 2014-2016 it shows that public health at the macro level and individual health at the micro level are formed under the impact of the system of factors combining physiological and behavioral characteristics (genetics, lifestyle), as well as social institutions that determine the specifics of participation of the state and society in creation of a «space of health». There are identified significant determinants of active longevity - economic and social (self-preservation behavior, material well-being, public health care). There are examined the basic characteristics of health in life cycle of people and it is found out that the structure of morbidity of children already in the first year of life predetermines to a large extent the subsequent structure of health problems of adults. Investigation of the institutional aspects of health show that the state responses to individual needs in preservation and recovery of health fell short of the expectations of population, as the administrative and organizational changes in the health care aimed at providing equal access to modern methods of treatment and prophylaxis pass ahead the inertia of paternalistic traditions of the public health care. This is particularly acute in child and older ages, and less acute - in working ages, where the state pays a special attention to prophylaxis of occupational diseases and reduction of workplace injuries. The obtained results confirmed the hypothesis about the growth of conscious attitude of all categories of population to their health, their striving for active longevity even against the background of the objective and subjective deterioration of health. Under the conditions of the persistent downward trend of the health potential, people try to form their individual self-preservation behavior with the account of the general medicalization of life.