Health Status and Living Conditions of Children Under 7 Years Old in the Chechen Republic

Abstract

Significance. Health of child population is one of the most important priorities of the state policy. Each region of Russia has its own characteristics of living conditions that affect the health of children, therefore, the assessment of regional characteristics of living and upbringing conditions of children in terms of their impact on health is a relevant objective. Purpose. To assess the impact of individual factors of living conditions of families in the Chechen Republic on the health of children under the age of 7 years. Material and Methods. During the preventive medical examination, a survey of parents of 793 children under 7 living in 9 districts of the Chechen Republic has been conducted. As a result, 536 questionnaires completed by 85% and more were analyzed. The health group determined based on the examination results was used as an effective indicator for assessing the impact of family living conditions on health. Results. The peculiar features of living conditions of children under 7 in the Chechen Republic are as follows: a high share of rural dwellers; a high number of large families; short birth spacing; a significant number of non-working mothers; an extremely low number of single-parent families with children. The child health is adversely affected by the following: living in rural areas; living in a family with five children and more; low educational level of parents; lack of funds for the child material support in low-income families. Conclusions. The Chechen Republic has its own peculiar characteristics of living conditions of children, which affect the child health and should be taken into account when developing regional programs aimed at preventing health disorders in children.