V. Shkolnikov et al., HEALTH CRISIS IN RUSSIA .1. RECENT TRENDS IN LIFE EXPECTANCY AND CAUSES OF DEATHS FROM 1970 TO 1993, Population, 50(4-5), 1995, pp. 907-943
Since the mid-1960s, the trend of life expentancy at birth in Russia h
as differed from those of the majority of other Western populations. U
ntil the beginning of the 1980s, life expectancy of women has remained
unchanged, and that of men has declined. Some progress was made follo
wing the anti-alcohol campaign launched by Gorbachev in 1985, but it p
roved to be ephemeral. After 1987, the fall in life expectancy continu
ed for both sexes, and even accelerated in 1993. The decline is not af
fected by correcting the level of infant mortality which has been unde
restimated, because the negative trend is linked mainly to a rise in a
dult mortality rates, particularly among men. Unpublished data on caus
es of death have made it possible to construct time series for the per
iod from 1970 to 1993 for deaths classified into the 185 causes in the
Soviet Classification of Causes of death. Increases in the prevalence
of cardio-vascular diseases which the health system was unable to tre
at have contributed to the long-term negative trend. Deaths from viole
nce were responsible for fluctuations towards the end of the 1980s. Fi
nally, the recent fall in life expectancy in 1993 applies to deaths fr
om all causes and is undoubtedly related to the economic crisis in tha
t year which contributed to the disorganization of the health system.