Human Development and Alcohol Consumption: State and Relationship in Russian Regions

Abstract

Introduction. The study of the relationship between the costs of purchasing a typical addictive product – alcoholic beverages and the human development index in the regions of Russia is due to the need to overcome population decline, improve the level of education and life of the population. The purpose of the article is to analyze human development in the Russian regions on the basis of the results obtained under the influence of spending on the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Materials and Methods. The initial research data are United Nations Development Programme and Rosstat statistics for Russian regions for 2000–2017. A regression analysis of the relationship between the share of expenses on alcoholic beverages in the structure of the household final consumption expenses and the human development index in the regions of Russia was carried out. For each region, the coefficients of determination and correlation are calculated, the trends of change over the period, the direction and strength of the relationship between the human development index and the cost of alcoholic beverages are determined. Results. The analysis has showed that in 77 Russian regions in 2000–2017, the share of expenses on alcoholic beverages in the structure of the household final consumption expenses is decreasing against the backdrop of an increase in the human development index and there is an inverse relationship between these indicators. To reduce the risk of negative health impacts from the consumption of addictive products in Russian regions, the implementation of local policies to reduce inequality and increase welfare is recommended. A toolkit for methodological, analytical and predictive support of regional regulatory policy has been developed and tested. Measures to reduce the consumption of alcoholic products, the risks of non-communicable diseases and mortality in the Russian regions are proposed. Discussion and Conclusion. The data obtained indicate a steady downward trend in the share of expenses on the purchase of alcoholic beverages against the backdrop of a steady increase in the human development index in 2000–2017. The materials of the paper can be used to monitor and adjust the approaches of the state authorities to the directions of reducing the degradation of human capital from the consumption of addictive goods in troubled regions.