Inhabitants Of Rural Areas Research Articles

A stochastic programming model for ambulance (re)location–allocation under equitable coverage and multi-interval response time

Emergency Medical Services are essential for health systems as their effective management can improve patient prognosis. Nevertheless, designing an optimized distribution of resources is a difficult task due to the complex nature of these systems. Moreover, locating the resources is particularly challenging in heterogeneous density territories where, in addition to their efficient management, the equity principle in the medical access of inhabitants of rural areas is also desirable.This paper approaches the ambulance (re)location–allocation problem in the geographical area of the Basque Country. The area has three major cities, which account for a third of the emergencies, while there are few emergencies in rural areas, with a sparse population. To that end, a two-stage stochastic 0-1 integer linear programming model that balances the response time between densely populated and isolated areas is proposed. Specifically, the model incorporates two relevant principles: (1) optimizing emergency attendance through the option of allocating ambulances via a multi-interval response time and (2) equitably responding to emergencies so remote areas are not neglected. Conducted experiments have been validated and indicate that the proposed model can improve the success rate in rural areas by 23 percentage points, while reducing the overall success rate by less than 9 percentage points.

Burden of chickenpox complications in Poland, 2006 to 2021: A comprehensive registry-based study.

BackgroundChickenpox, a vaccine-preventable disease caused by the varicella zoster virus, generally presents with mild symptoms but can cause complications necessitating hospitalisation. In Poland, since 2009, vaccination has been obligatory for children up to 12 years of age who are particularly vulnerable to infection and for children in their vicinity.AimTo examine the burden of chickenpox complications and the trends of hospitalisation arising from these complications over time in the Polish population.MethodsData spanning 2006-21 were sourced from the Polish Infectious Diseases Surveillance System, the Nationwide General Hospital Morbidity Study and the Statistics Poland death registry. Standardised and age-specific incidence rates, hospital discharge rates and number of deaths because of chickenpox were calculated. Moreover, the joinpoint regression model was used to analyse trends of annual hospital discharge rates.ResultsOver the analysed timeframe, 25,804 hospitalisations and 52 deaths attributable to chickenpox complications were documented, and 1.0% of chickenpox cases required hospitalisation because of chickenpox. Age-standardised hospitalisation rates varied between 2.3 and 9.6 per 100,000 population. The analysis revealed no statistically significant trend in overall hospital discharge rates from chickenpox complications. However, a notable increase in hospitalisation rates was observed in children aged 0-4 and among inhabitants of rural areas, with annual percentage changes of 4.9% and 3.4% respectively.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the implementation of a universal chickenpox immunisation programme, supported by health education, should be considered to reduce the number of hospitalisations and nearly eliminate deaths because of chickenpox.

Irreversible effects? How the digitalization of daily practices has changed after the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown made individuals rely more on digital technologies – for their work, study, shopping, and other daily routines. Self-isolation and compulsory digitalization increased stress levels due to a lack of traditional, offline interaction. These and other negative effects could cause ‘a digital backslide’ after the end of the quarantine, when people were given back the opportunity to choose between online and offline strategies. This study aims to determine if it actually happened. Based on the panel survey of Russian internet users (N = 1317) – conducted amidst the active phase of the pandemic in 2020 and after the removal of most restrictive measures in 2021 – it demonstrates the use of digital tools decreased for the practices which traditionally combine online and face-to-face, offline interaction (communication, meeting new people, watching/attending sports and cultural events, etc.). For others, there has been even a modest increase of the digitalization level. Such dynamics are observed in the practices mainly performed on the internet: information search, using public, financial and insurance services, etc. The study shows that the users who felt an external pressure to increase their digital usage in 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions, tended to decrease it after the lockdown was over. A similar trend is shown by the inhabitants of rural areas. The users with a high financial status and those which acquired new digital skills during the quarantine, on the contrary, have further increased their digital usage.The study contributes to the academic discussion of the digitalization of society and empirical analysis of its trends. It confirms that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the digitalization level of individuals’ daily practices has ingrained: no significant decrease in the use of digital technologies after the lockdown has been identified.

Manifestation of Health Denialism in Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccination: A Qualitative Study.

Science denialism is characterized by the refusal to accept existing consensus and available evidence. Typical strategies denialists employ include spreading conspiracies, selective use of information, relying on fake experts, or general fallacies in logic. A flood of misinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic. Simultaneously, it was a subject of many denialistic opinions, from denying the existence of the epidemic challenge to claims that questioned the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines. This study's main aim was to assess the manifestations of denialism in attitudes toward the preventive measures recommended during the pandemic, with a special focus on vaccination. In-depth interviews were conducted with fifty representatives of the general population, demonstrating diversified opinions about COVID-19 vaccines and other preventive behaviors. The interviews were performed face to face in participants' houses or at other places they identified as convenient. Some of the interviewees preferred to do the interview via teleconference. The interviews were carried out from November 2022 to March 2023. The interviewees were recruited initially by convenience, and in further stages, the snowball technique was used. The interviewees were residents of four main administrative districts in Poland. Out of 50 participants, 26 were males, 29 were between 18-40, 16 were inhabitants of rural areas, and 28 had a university level of education. The interviews were based on a semi-structured guide that addressed, in addition to views about the origin of the new coronavirus, respondents' attitudes toward vaccination and sanitary recommendation, the health status of interviewees, their use of healthcare services, and their health behaviors. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed with MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2022 software (Release 22.7.0). Thematic analysis (TA) was applied to the content generated from the interviews. Based on the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine, the participants were divided into three groups: unvaccinated, hesitant, and vaccinated (18, 4, and 28 interviewees, respectively). The main themes were established based on the TA of the interviews: attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination, perception of sources of information, and the origin of the new coronavirus. The first theme decidedly drew the greatest attention of the interviewees. There was also a clear relationship between vaccination status and the presence of denialist thinking among interviewees. Interestingly, the role of experts as a key source of information about the pandemic was underlined by study participants. However, the criteria for being an expert differed. The subject of the origin of a new coronavirus was not interesting to interviewees. The analysis of the adherence to preventive measures revealed an interplay of diversified attitudes and motivations. Individuals presenting denialist views most frequently abstained from COVID-19 vaccination. However, such views were also present among those who hesitated or even among those who had been vaccinated. Furthermore, denialism was only one of the determinants of adherence to preventive measures.

Prevalence of Urinary Schistosomiasis Infection among Women in Yala Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria

Urinary schistosomiasis is endemic in Nigeria and continues to be a threat to public health especially for inhabitants of rural areas. Women in villages may be ignorant of the cause of the disease. The main source of water in these areas in most parts of Nigeria is the streams with resultant spread of schistosomiasis. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of schistosomiasis infection among women in Yala L.G.A in Cross River State, Nigeria. Macroscopy, urinalysis, and microscopy were used to examine the 650 urine samples collected from two villages (Ugaga and Okpoma) to determine presence of Schistosoma haematobium eggs. Questionnaires administered to women provided information on socio-demographic data and water-contact activities. Out of the 650 urine specimens examined in the two villages, 202 (31.08%) were infected with the highest prevalence found among the 11-22 years age group, and the least (12.80%) among the 59-70 years age group. Statistical analysis at significance level (P<0.05) revealed that there is a significant relationship between occupation and infection rate of schistosomiasis in the area. Schistosomiasis is of serious public health importance. Hence, the need for an acceptable preventive and control intervention to be carried out in this study area to reduce this problem.

Place attachment and perception of climate change as a threat in rural and urban areas.

Climate change is a global threat to ecosystems and the people that depend on them. However, the perceived threat of climate change may vary spatially. Previous research suggests that inhabitants in rural areas show higher levels of place attachment (associating meaning with a specific place) than urbanites, possibly because rural people depend more directly on their local environment. This can shape perceptions and behaviours, such as enhanced willingness to engage in landscape preservation. Here we ask if it also makes rural people perceive climate change as a greater threat, using a representative sample of 1,071 survey respondents from across the United Kingdom (UK) to provide first-order insights. We found that, whilst indicators of place attachment were indeed more frequent in rural areas, the perceived threat of climate change in the most rural locations was lower. We discuss possible explanations for this pattern (including lower levels of awareness of the anthropogenic causes of climate change, lessened first-hand experiences of climate change impacts due to higher levels of regulating ecosystem services, and higher levels of resilience in rural areas related to a closer relationship with nature), and call for further research to investigate this.

Detection of Bhanja Bandavirus in Patients with Neuroinvasive Disease of Unknown Etiology in Croatia.

Although the Bhanja bandavirus (BHAV) is widely distributed in some European countries, human infections are rarely reported. This study analyzed the prevalence of BHAV antibodies in patients with neuroinvasive diseases of unsolved etiology. A total of 254 Croatian patients who developed neurological symptoms during the four consecutive arbovirus transmission seasons (April 2017-October 2021) were tested. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and urine samples were tested using RT-qPCR. In addition, CSF and serum samples were tested using a virus neutralization test. BHAV RNA was not detected in any samples, while neutralizing (NT) antibodies were detected in serum samples of 53/20.8% of patients (95% CI = 16.0-26.3). In two patients, BHAV NT antibodies were detected in the CSF, indicating a recent infection. Both patients were inhabitants of rural areas in continental Croatia, and one reported a tick bite two weeks before symptoms onset. The seropositivity was high in all age groups (15.2-29.1%). The majority of seropositive patients (94.3%) resided at altitudes less than 200 m above sea level. The prevalence rates correlated positively with population density and negatively with certain climate parameters (temperature, number of hot/warm days). The presented results indicate that BHAV is distributed in Croatia. Further studies are needed to determine the clinical significance of this neglected arbovirus.

THE IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY ON THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT IN THE OPINION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS

Understanding and assessing the impact of agricultural production on the environment is an important issue. Many analyzes were carried out to assess awarenass of inhabitants of rural areas. This awarensees of agricultural producers is of the main importance because it is connected with applided agricultural practices which infuence the immediate surroundings of farms. This is important in the level of understanding and acceptance of agricultural activities by the local community. The aim of the research was to determine farmers’ awareness and perception of the impact of their agricultural production on the local environment, depending on their characteristics. In total, 310 farms from four voivodships with the greatest potential for agricultural production were surveyed using the interview questionnaire. The research was conducted in 2019 and 2020. Most of the questions were closed questions, with answers on a 5-point Likert scale. The chi-square test of independence was used to compile the results. It was found that there is a relationship between the income situation of farmers and their knowledge of the concept of sustainable agriculture and the perception of the impact of agriculture on the economy, natural environment, culture and local community.

Emission and Reduction of Air Pollutants from Charcoal-Making Process in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

Charcoal is a fuelwood commonly used for domestic purposes on the household scale in Africa and Southeast Asia. Earnings from charcoal production contribute to the income of local inhabitants in rural areas. Unfortunately, airborne emissions from the traditional charcoal-making process affect both human health and the ambient environment. A series of studies were performed at a charcoal-making village in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) to assess: (i) air pollutant emissions from the traditional charcoal-making process; (ii) the impacts on human well-being and the environment of traditional charcoal production; (iii) the loading of carbon dioxide from a charcoal-making kiln; and (iv) the efficiency in reducing contaminants of an air pollution-controlling method developed at a charcoal-making kiln. Study results revealed that the traditional charcoal-making method causes a substantial loss of carbon from fuelwood materials and emits the products of incomplete combustion. These contaminants negatively impact human well-being and the environment. Carbon dioxide and incomplete combustion substances emitted from the charcoal-making kiln are potential causes of the global warming phenomenon. The installation of an air pollution-controlling system at the charcoal-making kiln is recommended as an urgent solution before alternatives would be found to control the impacts of charcoal production.

Parafia jako przestrzeń aktywności kobiet w kontekście uwarunkowań środowiskowych

The article presents the results of own research on the environmental determinants of women's activity for the parish community. They were carried out on a representative sample of 400 inhabitants of rural areas of Podkarpacie and were aimed at obtaining answers to the question about the relationship between specific environmental variables and activities undertaken by respondents in the parish. The research used a quantitative strategy, a type of verification study. The method of diagnostic survey was used, using the survey technique. The hypotheses were subjected to empirical verification using statistical tools. It was found that the respondents were involved in activities for the benefit of the parish, especially in the dimension of material support for the parish (financial support). To a lesser extent, the respondents were active in other areas of parish life, e.g.: through individual work for it. It has also been shown that the independent variables (environmental features) taken into account differentiate selected aspects of activity for the benefit of the parish. Keywords: woman, parish, village, activity, locality

Trwałość przestrzennego zróżnicowania zachowań wyborczych w krajach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej = Durability of the spatial differentiation characterising voting behaviour in Central and Eastern European countries

The main objective of the work described here was to identify core phenomena and processes relating to post-1989 voting behavior in selected CEECs (Poland, Romania and Lithuania). Political and economic changes commencing some 30 years ago triggered the process of transformation of post-communist countries from an economy that was centrally planned and steered, towards one based around the market that was liberal and open to global processes. This transformation was accompanied by dynamic political and social phenomena, as culminating in the accessions of the majority of CEECs to NATO and the European Union. One of the very important consequences of the collapse of the communist system was the introduction of the democratic institution of free elections. Despite decades of unification under communism, differences in terms of political sympathies were still revealed, including with a spatial dimension. One such involved distinct differentiation in voting behavior between cities and rural areas. However, the latter areas were also characterized by visible internal differentiation. Variability occurred not only in space, but also temporally. While the change of influence of individual parties or political options from one election to another is a normal phenomenon, there are more durable changes of a generational character. The researched period proves readily dividable into two intervals, even as all the CEECs considered here are characterised by similar, if regionally differentiated, trends. Thus, in all states the post-1989 period can be divided up into a first (post-communist) part characterized by the dispute between the centre-right, mostly originating from the anti-communist opposition (dissident movements), and the groupings arising out of communist formations. The latter would come to power mainly via support from the inhabitants of rural areas. The second period is undoubtedly linked with the change of generations. People who matured under communism came to be replaced by those who grew up during perestroika and democracy.

Medical and sociological assessment by physicians of the availability of medical care for chronic diseases in rural healthcare in the region: A cross-sectional focus group study

BACKGROUND: Problems with the organization of medical and medicinal care for populations living in rural and remote areas exist in most countries. In the context of Russia, this problem has been discussed in studies over several decades.The doctor as a subject of medicine more often acts as an object of medical and sociological research in the context of their medical (expert) knowledge about the representatives of different social groups of patients. The uniqueness of the research conducted is determined by the focus of the research interest on the social group of doctors in the context of their health problems, i.e., on the study of the personal patient experiences of rural health doctors.
 AIM: To study the problems of access to medical care by rural health professionals in the region.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight heads of departments of district medical organizations of the Saratov region took part in the focus group study. The participants suffered from chronic diseases (for more than 10 years), and two respondents attended a disability group.
 Following the guidelines of the focus group study, the discussion covered issues of the accessibility of medical care by physicians with chronic diseases in medical organizations of the region and directions for improving access to medical care by healthcare professionals.
 The data obtained were evaluated according to the standard requirements for the analysis of qualitative data with the support of the discourse analysis methodology.
 RESULTS: The results highlighted the key issues reflecting the problems of accessibility of medical care to rural healthcare specialists. The empirical material gathered added to the range of problems assumed at the stage of planning and the description of the peculiarities of obtaining medical care by the chosen group of respondentsdoctors in rural healthcare.
 CONCLUSION: The analysis of the array of respondents opinions of the focus group research allowed several conclusions to be reached. In the context of rural healthcare, access to medical care for physicians has not only an organizational but also a social and geographical context;moreover,the barriers are the staff deficits in rural healthcare, the lack of necessary infrastructure and material and technological backwardness of rural healthcare, the lack of transport provision in the region, and the mentality of the inhabitants of rural areas. In a situation where physicians with chronic health problems need help, the above list of barriers is supplemented by a high level of workload and the specific self-preservation behaviors of representatives of this group.

AGRICULTURE AS A SECTOR OF PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY OF RURAL INHABITANTS IN THE MAZOWIECKIE REGION

The study aims to identify the importance of agriculture as a sector of professional activity of the inhabitants of rural areas in the Mazowieckie Region. The statistical section uses data from Eurostat and data available from the Local Data Bank, including the Labour Force Survey. The empirical research used the CAWI method, with a questionnaire on the webankieta platform directed to rural inhabitants of the region during the second quarter of 2022. It can be concluded that in comparison to other areas in Poland, the Mazowieckie Region is characterised by the most favourable employment structure with the highest percentage of employees in services (66%) and relatively average values for the rate of employees in the other two sectors (agriculture 9%, industry and services 24%). Results of empirical research among rural inhabitants of the region can lead to at least two significant conclusions farm work is still important for the investigated group. However, most respondents were employed or self-employed. It can also be noticed that the public sector (e.g. administration, education) plays a significant role for the local labour markets.

General Public Perceptions and Perceived Barriers Toward the Use of Telehealth: A Cross-Sectional Study from Jordan.

Background: Telemedicine implies the provision of health care services, such as diagnosis, treatment, and consultation related to different disease states remotely through harnessing a variety of technologies. Aim: Despite the widespread global applications related to telehealth, there are limited research articles exploring the perceptions and barriers related to telehealth implementation in developing countries such as Jordan. Thus, this study was conducted to explore general public perceptions regarding the provision of health care services through different technological devices and to examine perceived barriers and facilitators. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for 6 months. Participants were recruited through different social media portals. A convenient sample from the Jordanian population was approached. A total of 1,136 responses were collected and included in the final analysis, which was done by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 25). Results: A total of 1,136 responses were valid for further analysis. The results of this study expressed that the public has positive perceptions toward the use of telemedicine with the majority being capable of using telehealth based on having an active internet connection, technological devices, and the ability to use social media accounts or instant messaging services. Logistic regression analysis revealed that those with comorbid diseases and higher summated capability scores (p = -0.017 and p < 0.001, respectively) had a statistically significant relationship with willingness to use telehealth as reflected by stating a clear intention to use telehealth services once available. Conclusion: In conclusion, the Jordanians had positive perceptions toward the use of telehealth services. However, their willingness to use telehealth services was affected by limited knowledge about the service. Telehealth offers the opportunity to provide quality care and improve patient outcomes, especially for the inhabitants of rural areas or in cases where access to health care facilities is compromised such as pandemics.

Održiva poljoprivreda Srbije kroz prizmu tržišta obnovljivih izvora energije

The agricultural sector significantly endangers the environment and human health through the excessive use of chemical agents and the use of heavy machinery. At the same time, the sector represents a significant source of renewable energy sources (abbreviated RES). The research results indicated that Serbia still does not have indicators for measuring RES production and consumption in the agricultural sector. Their determination should be the first task of public policies and national statistics, so that the state of the RES market in this sector can be effectively monitored. The research was enriched with a case study that examined the state of the domestic agropellet market and the possibilities of new producers entering this market. The results showed that, although the potential of agricultural biomass for the production of agropellets in Serbia is huge, the market for this energy source is quite underdeveloped. The awareness of the inhabitants of rural areas about the possibilities of using agricultural biomass for household energy needs is low, and an additional limitation is the non-incentive tax policy in this area.

Assessment of selenium supply in adolescents living in a rural area

Background. It has been found that selenium deficiency is one of the risk factors for the development of thyroid pathology, in particular autoimmune one. The evidence base for this statement includes the association of low selenium levels with enlarged thyroid gland, heterogeneity, and the presence of hypoechogenicity, which are ultrasonographic signs of thyroid lymphoid infiltration. Given that the inhabitants of rural areas consume mainly vegetables and fruits of local origin and water from local sources, the levels of selenium in them largely reflect the supply of this trace element in specific territories. Aim: to determine the degree of selenium availability of adolescent girls in rural areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions of Ukraine. Materials and methods. The level of selenium was studied in the hair of adolescent girls aged 13–15 years. Measurements were made using an atomic absorption spectrometer ICE 3500 (Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA). Selenium content of more than 0.8 μg/g was considered normal. Results. It was found that selenium level in the hair was lower than the reference values in 15 of 16 residents of Zaporizhzhia region (93.6 %), in 16 of 18 residents of the Balakliia district (88.9 %) and in all the examined girls from Chuhuiiv district of Kharkiv region (100.0 %). At the same time, the median and minimum levels of selenium supply in all groups of patients were lower than the lower threshold of reference norms. In 12 of 16 examinees in group I (75.0 %), 9 of 12 in group II (75.0 %) and 14 of 18 in group III (77.77 %), thyroid sizes exceeded the age norm. Conclusions. The results of the research show that adolescent girls living in rural areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions have a high frequency of selenium deficiency against the background of which the majority of the examined patients has increased thyroid volume. Such data require regular monitoring of the health of adolescents in the specified areas with the mandatory participation of endocrinologists. In addition, there is a need to develop special organizational measures that would ensure timely detection of children with selenium deficiency with a rational schedule for their further examination.

Rural E-Customers’ Preferences for Last Mile Delivery: Evidence from Poland

Residents of rural areas buy products in the e-commerce market that are delivered to their homes (home deliveries) or to collection points (out-of-home deliveries). This poses last mile delivery challenges, which are of increasing interest to researchers. While urban research is widespread, a smaller number of rural studies are noticeable. The study aims to assess the factors differentiating the inhabitants of rural areas as to the familiarity and use of various methods of delivery of products purchased via the Internet and the reasons for choosing the preferred delivery methods. The paper uses the simplified SLR method in the literature section and multivariate data analysis in the empirical section. It contributes to the existing research in the form of the analysis of rural e-customers’ preferences for choosing a particular delivery method or parcel collection method when out-of-home delivery is conducted. It indirectly focuses on the environmental attitudes that may lead to the sustainable transition through reducing CO2 emissions while last mile delivery is performed. Regardless of choosing price or convenience over sustainable behavior for Polish rural e-customers, their preferences in last mile deliveries are focused on more eco-friendly methods of delivery. Such behavior is a good beginning for a more sustainable transition towards energy saving in Polish rural areas.

E-prescription - impediment or facilitation?

Aim. The aim of the study was to obtain information about the advantages and disadvantages of using an e-prescription and whether age is a determinant in the case of e-prescription use.&#x0D; &#x0D; Methods. This study is used the method of diagnostic survey. An original questionnaire was used to collect the diagnostic material. The study involved 94 respondents aged 18–92, who by filling in the proprietary electronic questionnaire indicated the advantages and disadvantages of e-prescription.&#x0D; Results. The largest age group that participated in the study was the one which was aged 18–29 as it accounted for 26.6% of all participants, while seniors were in the minority, accounting for 7.9%. As for the place of residence, the dominant group were the inhabitants of rural areas (54%). When analysing the education attained by the participants, most respondents had secondary education 40.4% (n=38) and higher education 30.9% (n=29). While focusing only on the group of seniors, vocational education came first. 93.5% of respondents had no problem with the redemption of e-prescriptions. Satisfaction with the quality of services was indicated by 93.5% of the respondents, and only 1.1% were dissatisfied. People over 60 encountered the most problems with e-prescriptions; these resulted mainly from the inability to reach the clinic and losing the access code.&#x0D; Keywords: e-prescription, senior, digitization

The effect of poor vision on economic farm performance: Evidence from rural Cambodia

Roughly one-fifth of the global population is affected by poor visual acuity. Despite the fact that inhabitants of rural areas in low-income countries are most distressed by this, no prior research has studied the impact of poor visual acuity on the economic performance of farms. We conduct a standardized eye test with 288 farm managers in rural Cambodia and find that around 30 percent of our sample suffers from poor visual acuity in terms of nearsightedness (myopia). Our analyses indicate a statistically significant and economically meaningful association of poor visual acuity with economic farm performance. Our results show that gross margins for cropping activities per year could be, on average, around 630 USD higher if farm managers were able to correct for poor vision. Our results suggest that poor visual acuity impairs farm managers from tapping the full potential of their business, which in turn decreases their chance to break the vicious cycle of poverty.

TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIO-CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE ASSIGNMENTS OF RURAL TERRITORIES

The article deals with the problem of developing the infrastructure of socio-cultural purpose of rural territories, which is relevant for the socio-economic system of the region. The purpose of the study is to study the features and trends of the development of socio-cultural infrastructure in rural areas. The author examines the dynamics of indicators of socio-cultural infrastructure of rural areas based on the analysis of data from Rosstat, the Federal State Statistics Service, statistical collections of the Russian Federation and the Vologda Oblast. The study of the state and main trends in the development of socio-cultural infrastructure of rural areas in modern conditions. The loss of the ability of rural municipal institutions to meet the socio-cultural needs of the population was noted. The article also offers an analysis of the results of the sociological survey of the National Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences "Socio-cultural portrait of regions" conducted with the participation of the author in 2019 and 2021, the purpose of which was to study the socio-cultural characteristics of the population of the Vologda region, data are provided for two major cities of the region (Vologda and Cherepovets) and by districts. The method of conducting the survey is a questionnaire at the respondent's place of residence, the sample size is 1500 people, the sample is representative, the error does not exceed 5%. The questionnaire questions used in the study study the cultural practices used by the residents of the region, the analysis focuses on the place of residence (urban and rural areas). An analysis of the results of a survey of residents of the Vologda Oblast revealed changes in the composition of leisure needs, as well as in ways to meet them among the rural population. In particular, in 2021, there was an increase in the interest of the population of rural areas in the use of previously less popular cultural practices (museums, cinemas, theaters). The analysis leads the author to think about the expansion of the list of preferred cultural practices among the inhabitants of rural areas. The obtained data and the results of the study can be used by federal and regional authorities in the development of management decisions; drawing up strategic programs for the development of socio-cultural infrastructure and the sphere of culture and leisure.