Medical aspects of demographic policy in a large city
Miniaev, V.A.; Poliakov, I.V.; Sokolova, N.S.; Boiarinova, E.A.
Sovetskoe Zdravookhranenie 3: 7-11
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0038-5239 PMID: 6452702 Document Number: 175041
In Leningrad the population is characterized as follows: 1) it is aging, with an increase in the proportion 60 years of age or older; 2) 20 years ago fertility started to decline; in 1968 it started to rise, but this was temporary, and in 1977 it was 25.1% lower than the average for the country; 3) the rate of natural population increase does not exceed 3%; 4) the average life expectancy for men is 64.61 years, and for women 73.31; by 2000 it will grow to 69.02 for men and to 75.88 for women; 5) the indices of physical development of newborn infants has remained about the same in recent years; the largest group of infants are ones weighing at least 4 kilograms and at least 52 cm in length; and 6) the morbidity statistics do not reveal a clear pattern of development; there are more lung diseases, a slight increase in chronic diseases, and, among the newborn, the most common conditions are birth trauma and genetic defects. It is important to study not only the birthrate but also the health of the infant and of the developing child, using not only traditional indices of yearly morbidity, but also indices of morbidity for the total number of years lived. It is also necessary to elaborate a set of factors influencing public health for the different periods of life. Such factors could be: educational and working conditions, living and recreational conditions, climatic and geographical conditions, public health conditions at the place of residence, characteristics of the individual (sex, age, cultural level, inheritance, and behavior), and available medical services. We have tried to develop a method for bringing medical services to the population. Our polyclinic is conducting experiments in the greater use of dispensaries. An acute problem is defining the need for medical rehabilitation and the optimal way of organizing that. We are also working on various forms of prevention, especially in connection with pregnancy. This all involves the processing of much information, which is not possible without using computers and statistical techniques. At a later stage we will gather such information not only on groups but also on each individual member of the population.