Self-perceived health, availability of medical care and health attitudes among rural population in Russia

Abstract

Health promotion, reduction of mortality and increase in life expectancy are among the national priorities in the Russian Federation. The aim of the study was to assess self-perceived health, availability of healthcare services and attitudes towards health among rural residents of Russia. Methods: This descriptive study is a part of the nationally representative population survey conducted by Rosstat in 2017 (n = 115 155). For the purpose of this study, a subsample of 65 046 individuals was taken with 11 063 of them being residents of rural areas. Results: A smaller proportion of rural respondents perceived their health as good (40.3 %) and very good (3.3 %) compared to their urban counterparts (47.7 % and 3.7 % respectively). Rural residents reported seeking medical care less often than urban residents, which is largely due to the low availability of medical services for the rural population. Residents of rural areas both free and fee-based medical care. The main reasons for using private clinics include lack of specialists or equipment at the rural polyclinics (35.4 %), long queues (28.3 %) and the remoteness of free medical care organizations (5.1 %). Rural residents were mostly dissatisfied with rising prices for medicines and the increased number of paid medical services. At the same time, rural residents were more satisfied with medical institutions than their urban counterparts. Conclusions: We observed substantial urban-rural variations in the availability of health care services. urban residents have greater demands on the quality and conditions for the provision of medical services, while rural residents are more concerned with the availability of medical care.