Socio-Demographic Indicators of Municipalities in International Practice: a Review of Approaches to Clustering and Assessing Population Health

Abstract

Introduction. The socio-demographic status of residents is a significant factor for differentiating territories by the public health level at the national, regional, and municipal levels. To develop and implement measures aimed at improving population health, it is advisable to consider the social and demographic structure of municipalities. This should be followed by typological classification and clustering according to the level of development and demographic potential as part of the execution of the state assignment of Moscow Healthcare Department (Reg. No. NIOKTR 123032100064-0).Purpose. To conduct a review of socio-demographic indicators used in international practice for further formation of a socio-demographic profile of districts and municipalities of Moscow based on Census data.Materials and methods. Content analysis was conducted on international and Russian scientific publications accessible through international databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, eLibrary, and CyberLeninka. The units of analysis were the queries “socio-demographic indicators” and “municipal” with “public health” as an adjustment.Results. The most frequently used indicators were identified. In almost all the studies, income level and education were mentioned; employment status (including the unemployment rate) was studied slightly less frequently; age distribution of the population was ranked 4th, followed by social class and social cohesion; living conditions and behavioral factors were presented only in 2 of 13 studies.Conclusions. Based on a review of international experience and Russian research, it seems appropriate to use the following indicators to form a socio-demographic profile of administrative districts and municipalities of Moscow based on Census data: population size, age, and sex composition (especially the ratio of children to the elderly), components of natural population change (birth rate, mortality), education, income and source of livelihood, employment status, living conditions, and other indicators.